


Somnambulist

by LadyLamia



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Bathtubs, Beaches, Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood Magic, Blood Pacts, Bondage, Clouds, Comfort Food, Crossdressing, Dancing, Dreams, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreamsharing, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fondling, Kissing, Lace, Libraries, Magic, Masturbation, Nightmares, Not Canon Compliant, Nudity, Ocean, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Sleepwalking, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Studying, Swimming, Underwater, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:48:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 31,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25230088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLamia/pseuds/LadyLamia
Summary: Olivia is just trying to adjust to life in the Devildom, but she's started sleepwalking again. Even more confusing, she keeps waking up at the foot of the same, creepy set of stairs...Smut to come, eventually.
Relationships: Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 98
Kudos: 218





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m using the characters and the world, but playing fast and loose with the actual story. What I have planned veers off from the official narrative pretty dramatically. That said, there are spoilers for Lesson 16. 
> 
> Idea of Belphie’s dream powers were initially inspired by One Taste is Not Enough by EP1.

Olivia had stopped sleepwalking after puberty. At least, she had until now. But here she was, waking up at the foot of the stairs. Again. 

The cold radiated from the gritty stone floor under her bare feet and a draft had her longing for the warm comfort of her bed. She leaned around the edge, peering up into the dark depths of the spiral staircase, curious in spite of herself. She wasn’t sure she actually wanted to know the kinds of things that might lurk in a dark, out-of-the-way space like this...

Thus far, nobody had caught her wandering at night. She shuddered again to imagine what demons got up to under the cover of night. It had only been a week since her arrival in the Devildom, but she’d already had her life threatened more times than in her previous 23 years combined. 

But… this was the third night in a row she’d wound up here. It was odd, but she felt sure if she only knew what was going on, she’d be able to sleep. Looking around to make sure she was alone, she carefully began to climb the steps.

\-------------------------

Someone was approaching his door. He rolled his eyes. He wasn’t sure why Lucifer was trying to be sneaky, but he knew he wasn’t in the mood to deal with that. Still sprawled across his bed he yelled, “Fuck off, Lucifer. Go preach at someone who cares.”

He was waiting for his vulgarity to be met with some imperious statement about dignity. He was not expecting a quiet gasp and the sound of rapidly receding feet slapping against the floor. 

“No wait--” But whoever it was had already gone.

\-------------------------

She sat in class, attempting to take notes, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the stranger in the attic. She hadn’t managed to fall back asleep and her tired mind could only focus on the person trapped there. Why was someone locked up there? She’d ask, but… well, Lucifer already knew about him. And if it was a secret, she could wind up in trouble for mentioning it. She tapped her pencil against her notebook, simultaneously exhausted and on edge. 

She almost fell asleep at the dinner table, so nobody was surprised when she excused herself early and went up to bed. A quiet melody woke her in the wee hours of the morning and she scrambled up, silencing her alarm. She hadn’t expected to actually fall asleep, but her exhaustion had won out. 

Blinking blearily and scrubbing at her tired eyes she pulled on her sneakers and hoodie. Time to go. With a deep breath she opened her door, peering out through the crack and listening intently for signs of anyone in the hall. Seeing nobody, she took a few tentative steps out and began carefully making her way down the corridor.

Logically, she knew she’d done this on several other occasions, but she didn’t remember any of that. Each stray shadow had her heart pounding and the (probably?) harmless noises of the old house settling made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Eventually she made it down the hallway to the foot of the stairs. With a quiet sigh of relief, she paused on the landing, looking up into the deep shadows.

It seemed much more ominous than previous nights, but those had been colored with a dreamy quality that was now lacking. Squaring her shoulders, she started up the stairs, taking care to move silently, steadying herself against the stone wall...

\-------------------------

He dared not move as he heard someone approach his door again. This time he pretended to sleep, eyelids slit open as he watched the door intently through his lashes. Sure enough a moment later he saw a face peek up through the grate in his door. He caught a glimpse of bright eyes peering at him. He let them look for a moment, getting comfortable with the scene, before he stretched slightly, sighing softly as if deep in a dream.

Whoever it was exhaled sharply and ducked back down. He took advantage of his supernatural speed and moved swiftly to the door. He leaned up against the wall, just beside the grate. The next time they peeked up he caught their confused gaze.

“Hi.” 

The woman stifled her shriek of surprise and stumbled back into the wall behind her. The sudden appearance of dark hair and luminous eyes where there had been nothing had her heart racing.

He took in her wide eyes and flushed cheeks, fully expecting her to turn and flee. To his surprise, she took a deep breath and spoke, “Who are you?”

He grinned at her boldness. “Who are _you_?”

“I’m Olivia. The new exchange student. But that doesn’t tell me who you are.”

“I’m someone who managed to piss off Lucifer.” 

“That’s not hard to do, but even Mammon hasn’t managed to get locked up.” Her pointed look took in the thick door, heavy grate, and prominent lock. “What did you do?”

“That’s an awfully personal question, don’t you think?” His lips quirked in a smirk and he looked her over taking in her messy bun and oversized hoodie. 

“Well, but… I’m _supposed_ to be here, right?” 

She looked directly into his eyes and for a moment there was a flash of something, but it vanished almost immediately, leaving him looking into a set of mundane, human eyes.

When he didn’t answer, she gave him a searching look. “I’ve woken up, standing at the base of these stairs, three nights in a row. I know it’s silly, but it just seemed like I was... supposed to be here.”

Olivia let out a quiet sigh at his skeptical expression. 

“You’ve been reading too many fairy tales, it seems.”

She stared at him for another long moment, brow furrowed until she made up her mind. “Well, I guess I’ll let you get back to…” she gestured to his room. “whatever you were doing here. Sorry to interrupt.”

He stood silently at the door, watching her pad down the stairs. 

\-------------------------

She kicked off her shoes and flopped onto her bed. Why had she ended up there if it wasn’t some kind of weird-magic-demon-thing? But then, why would something magical call her there? Maybe she _was_ just sleepwalking again. She might need to ask Solomon about this. He was unsettling, but human… mostly. Maybe sleepwalking was a normal human response to being in the Devildom? She shook her head, too tired to think about it anymore. 

She wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep after the excitement, but she knew she needed to try. The last time she’d been this sleep-deprived she had ended up half-asleep, writing letters to her roommate instead of an essay on 16th century literature. It had been a miracle that she’d passed that class. 

She pulled off her hoodie and snuggled under the covers, still thinking of the strange person somewhere in the house above her. She had gotten a good look at his lean form stretched across a sofa. Messy dark hair and pale skin. He had looked so peaceful up until suddenly he was inches from her face. She closed her eyes and began to relax into the soft mattress, finally drifting off to dreams of deep, violet eyes. 

\-------------------------

He paced the floor of the attic, fuming. The exchange student shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but he had no idea she was already here! And why had she come to find him?! He certainly hadn’t wanted to see her, but somehow she was called to him. Or, at least, she claimed as much. Who knew what a stupid human would interpret as a portent. He refused to entertain the idea that she was anything special, that the momentary sense of familiarity meant anything. 

He sighed and collapsed onto the bed. It had been a long time since he’d bothered invading a human’s dreams, but maybe he could get some more information, or at least make her life a bit more… interesting. Humans were so fragile, so easy to break. His lips curved upwards. He settled back onto his pillows. His brothers’ energies roiled through the house, but now that he had a name he could focus...

_Olivia…. Olivia..._

He closed his eyes and envisioned walking the familiar halls of his home until he came to a room that felt different. It had originally functioned as a sitting room, back when those were still in use, but it would have been easily retrofitted to serve as a guest room. He pressed a hand against the door and could feel the strange coolness he always associated with humans. It should have been much harder to locate her. He was lucky she’d given him her name so readily. 

He didn’t bother opening the door, instead he ghosted through it and into the bedroom. Although it was dark, he had no difficulty making out the human’s form. A tree grew over her bed, forming a leafy canopy and there was a desk and coffin-shaped bookshelf behind her. She’d left her sneakers and hoodie in a pile near the foot of her bed. 

He leaned over her, noticing her eyes twitching under her eyelids. She was in deep sleep. He placed a ghostly hand on her forehead and could see fragments of her dreams... _a low wooden platform over a slow moving river full of corpses flowing towards her… a shadowed stage curtained in red velvet… a voluptuous woman smiling at her and whispering..._

Olivia murmured something and he removed his hand, watching closely. A melody started playing and he jerked back into the corner. She flailed around feeling for it and managed to quiet her alarm without ever opening her eyes. 

No matter. It was getting late and his brothers would be waking soon.Now that he knew where she was, he’d have no trouble finding her again. He opened his eyes. This might be fun. 

\-------------------------

Her alarm blared, too loud and too early. She hit snooze the first several times, but eventually rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, relieved to be waking in her own bed. It was the weekend, but she’d still planned to be up in time to make it to breakfast. She rolled over and hit snooze, groggily making the executive decision to stay in bed a bit longer. 

She had just dozed off again when someone banged on her door and then opened it. A head full of fluffy, white hair poked in. 

“Hey human! Ya gotta get down to breakfast, unless you want Beel to eat it all!”

She groaned and sat up, giving up on any more sleep. “Coming.” 

It was going to be another long day. 

\-------------------------

After a trip to the shops, cooking, a drawn out meeting with Lucifer to discuss extracurriculars, and dinner, she escaped to her room. 

A hot bath and then bed. She decided she was going to give the mystery in the attic a pass-- at least for now. He seemed like he was fine and she needed to get some rest. 

She drew a bath and tossed in some bath salts she had picked up earlier. Blood-berries were supposed to be similar to lemons, but, despite their name, she hadn’t anticipated the water changing color so dramatically. She dipped a fingertip in the deep-red water and sniffed it. It was citrus-y, but with a musky undertone… strange, but pleasant. She tossed her clothes in the hamper by the door and stepped gingerly into the steaming water.

She sank down until she was almost entirely submerged. The drowsy heat seeped into her tired body as her neck and shoulders began to unknot. Her limbs felt heavy. With a slight jerk she realized she was about to doze off. 

She stood carefully, forcing herself to get out of the tub before she fell asleep. Toweling off quickly, she stumbled over to bed, slipping between the sheets and falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillows.

\-------------------------

He moved between the floors, slipping through the ceiling in her room and standing beside her bed. She seemed so small and insignificant nestled in between the pillows and thick comforter. _This_ was why he was locked in the attic? This small, helpless, worthless thing? 

He couldn’t affect the physical world, but there were other things he could do. He placed a hand on her forehead, watching carefully as she shifted. Anything beyond observing required a delicate touch and he was out of practice. 

He began to sink into her dreams, but she shifted slightly, murmuring. While she shouldn’t be able to sense him, he wanted to make sure she was in a deep sleep. He pulled his hand back, scrutinizing her face for any signs of wakefulness. She rolled towards him, curling onto her side. The sheet caught under her exposing a bare shoulder and the delicate curve of her collarbone. 

There was something fascinating about her exposed flesh. Her skin seemed luminous. He reached out to brush a phantom touch across her bare shoulder. She shivered slightly in response. The dark sweep of her lashes fluttered against her cheek. He leaned in closer, entranced by something he couldn’t quite name.

He pulled back in shock as she sat straight up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, facing him. She couldn’t have sensed him. He was invisible to humans when dreamwalking. Still he drifted back to the darkest corner of her room to watch. 

She stood, and the last of her bedding fell away revealing that she had been sleeping naked. She bypassed her closet and approached her door with a slightly unsteady step. Was she still asleep? He’d never observed someone sleepwalking without his influence. Her eyes remained closed and she faced straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to anything around her. 

He followed her as she continued down the hallway, still naked. He looked her up and down. She might be a human, but she was lovely and, even asleep, there was a certain grace to her movement. 

He chuckled at the sight of a naked human, walking down the dark halls of the House of Lamentation. But his laughter stopped abruptly when he realized where she was headed. Ahead of them he could see the dark entrance to the spiral staircase leading up to his prison. Had she been telling him the truth when she said something had called her to the attic? 

Sure enough, she came to a stop at the base of the stairs that lead up to the attic, where his body was. He watched as she stood on the cold stone. She was swaying slightly, as though caught between opposing compulsions.

As he pondered the implications of that, he heard a noise from the entryway as the front door opened and shut. He slipped past her, up the stairs, still watching, but out of sight from anyone who might be approaching. Demons as strong as his siblings would have no difficulty seeing him like this. Loud steps thumped up the hall as Mammon rounded the corner and then gasped. 

“Hey human?! Human! What are ya doing?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> Sure enough, she came to a stop at the base of the stairs that lead up to the attic, where his body was. He watched as she stood on the cold stone. She was swaying slightly, as though caught between opposing compulsions._
> 
> _As he pondered the implications of that, he heard a noise from the entryway as the front door opened and shut. He slipped past her, up the stairs, still watching, but out of sight from anyone who might be approaching. Demons as strong as his siblings would have no difficulty seeing him like this. Loud steps thumped up the hall as Mammon rounded the corner and then gasped._
> 
> _“Hey human?! Human! What are ya doing?”  
> _

Someone was calling her. She was cold. Again. She rubbed her eyes only to find herself back at the stairs. She turned suddenly to see Mammon leaning drunkenly against a wall, staring at her.

“Olivia, are you ok?” He was beet red, almost to the roots of his pale hair. He quickly looked away from her and stared at the ground by his feet.

With a sense of dread she realized why she was so cold. Naked. She’d fallen asleep naked. She used her arms to cover herself and turned to walk past Mammon. 

“Sorry, Mammon.” She said as she edged around him, and took off running back to her room. 

Mammon turned to follow her. Humans were very strange. He needed to go check on his. 

\-------------------------

It didn’t take long for word of her nighttime adventures to make their way through the house. Unsurprisingly, Lucifer summoned her to a personal meeting the following afternoon. 

She slumped in the chair. She needed a solid night of sleep. Reassuring Mammon that she was ok had taken the better part of an hour. And then he’d insisted on staying with her. The intention was sweet, but he had hogged the covers. 

Lucifer shut his door and walked over to lean against the front of his desk. As always, he looked impeccable. “Care to explain what happened last night?”

She yawned. “Not really. I… sleepwalking is something some humans do.” She felt heat blossom on her face.” I, um, I’ll make sure to wear pajamas in the future.” 

She could feel the weight of his gaze, but her eyes stayed focused on the floor in front of her, following the swirls of the ornate carpet. 

“Why didn’t you tell us about this?”

“When would I have had the chance?” She wasn’t about to tell Lucifer that she hadn’t sleepwalked in years. She certainly wasn’t going to admit to finding his mysterious prisoner in the attic. 

“Hmmm.. you make an excellent point. I thought we had accounted for human physiology, but I shall make an appointment with a physician. I want to make sure you are healthy while you’re here.” 

The thought of a demon doctor made her guts churn, but she wanted this conversation over. 

“Sure. Thank you.” 

“Is there anything else we need to know in the meantime?” 

“Nope.” 

“You’d tell me if there was?”

“Of course.” She forced herself to seem pleasant even as she scoffed at the idea of giving her medical history to a demon whose brothers were consistently threatening to devour her. 

He sighed, sensing some of her reticence. “You’re dismissed.” 

\-------------------------

It had been a long day. Between Mammon’s concern, the meeting with Lucifer, and seemingly endless flirtations from Asmodeus who had lamented missing her midnight stroll loudly and frequently, she was utterly drained by early evening. 

She left dinner as soon as she could and got ready for bed, wearing her warmest and most modest pajamas. She snuggled down under the covers, but despite her exhaustion, she couldn’t slow her racing mind. She got up again to check that her door was shut securely and the makeshift latch she had assembled was fastened tight. She walked over to her window and stared out at the endless twilight and twinkling lights of the city. 

She looked at her DDD and decided to do a bit of digging. Even, if she couldn’t figure out why he was locked up, there might be something about some spat with Lucifer on Devligram or one of the news sites. 

She settled into the window seat, scrolling through school news and official announcements until a blurb about the exchange program caught her eye.

**Duke Saleos, Baphomet, Belphegor and Earl Raum Selected for Exchange Program**

_ Lord Diavolo’s exchange program with the Celestial and Human Realms continues to move forward. Duke Sealos and Baphomet have been selected to visit the Celestial Realm while Avatar of Sloth, Belphegor and Earl Raum will be studying in the Human Realm. Four students, two each from the Human and Celestial Realms will be spending a year in the Devildom as well. “With this exchange program, we hope to foster greater understanding between realms in the interest of improving the lives of all who live in the Devildom,” said Lord Diavolo in a student council address. _

_ Little is known about the visitors who will be coming here. Students are expected to begin arriving sometime next week.  _

I wonder if the demons in the human world are having a difficult time adapting, she mused. Although, they had certainly been more prepared than she was. Curiosity piqued, she looked them up. Raum seemed to be a bit of a playboy, but he could easily pass for human, at least, based on his Devilgram posts. 

It took her a few tries to spell Belphegor correctly, but once she did, her stomach jerked. She recognized him immediately-- it was the person from the attic! 

So she had a name, but nothing more. She still didn’t understand why Lucifer would have one of the exchange students locked in the attic. And why would anything draw her to him? He seemed surprised that she was there.

She’d never been particularly lazy, so she didn’t see how she’d have any kind of attachment to the Avatar of Sloth. If anything, she mused, it’d probably be Envy or Lust...

She stared back out at the lights of the Devildom and slowly relaxed into the cushion. Her eyes drifted closed and before long she was fast asleep. 

\-------------------------

Belphegor waited until the sounds of the house subsided before laying down and closing his eyes. He took a few deep breaths to center himself and slipped down to her room. He was startled to see she wasn’t in her bed, but then he looked at the window seat. 

She was slumped against the wall, legs bent and tilted to the side, leaning against the window. He made his way over cautiously, but her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady. He carefully placed his hand across her forehead and slipped into her dreams…

\-------------------------

She was sprawled in a chair, sitting on a porch. Her feet rested on the railing in front of her and she wore pale pink cowboy boots. She felt like she was in an old western town, but instead of a flat prairie or dusty town, she looked out onto an expanse of roiling, red waters. The waves had frothy pink caps and the blue sky’s reflection gave it all a purplish tint. 

She stood, made her way down the wooden steps, and began walking towards the ghoulish waters. Frustrated by her boots sinking into the thick, soft sand, she stopped and pulled them off. When she continued walking, her toes squelched in the sand which was growing thicker and more viscous as she approached the water. 

The waves rolling up the beach were almost touching her toes now. She realized with sudden clarity that if they were to touch her, she would die a slow, painful death. She knew with a strange surety that she had to be here, but she found herself edging away from the waves even as she continued along the shore. But no matter how far she moved the waves were always inches from her bare feet. 

A quiet chuckle caught her attention and she whipped her head around, looking for the source. But she saw only the waves and tufts of grass blending into an endless field behind her. The porch she had been sitting on was gone, as were her boots. 

When she turned back to the water she saw a gargantuan wave of red looming over her. She turned and ran, knowing she had no chance of survival, but desperate to escape. 

\-------------------------

She woke with a start, her head bumping into the cold glass of the window with a thud. Blinking blearily, she unfolded her stiff legs and shuffled over to her bed. A sense of dread hung over her, but she was so tired. Maybe she’d have better dreams if she slept in an actual bed. Snuggling down into the covers she let her body relax.

\-------------------------

The red waves stretched in front of her, but this time instead of running from them she was drawn to them, so she turned and waded in. The water was tepid and strangely viscous, eddying around her bare calves in sticky swirls. As she watched, the fluid began moving up her naked legs accompanied by a growing numbness where it touched her. She could no longer feel her toes and tendrils of it were making their way up the back of her knees and around her bare thighs. 

She scraped her nails along her legs, trying to dislodge some of the red, but she only succeeded in scratching herself. Blood welled up from one of the scratches and she watched with growing horror as a line of the thick water found the tear in her skin and slipped into it with a searing pain that quickly vanished as her whole body went numb. 

\-------------------------

She blinked her lashes, relieved to be in her bed and not underwater. She thought she might get a drink of water or listen to an audiobook, anything to get her mind off of her nightmares, but a heavy lassitude fell over her and she relaxed back into her pillow. As she closed her eyes, she thought she glimpsed a figure in the corner of her room grinning at her. 

\-------------------------

She was under the red water, walking along the rough bottom. Rocks and rough coral bit into her bare feet, but she had somewhere she needed to be. As she moved, she realized that she was able to breathe and that she could still see clearly. 

She began to experiment with jumping and half-swimming, half-floating ahead. It protected her feet and was almost like flying. She grinned as she moved through the liquid and realized it tasted like lemons! She caught sight of a dark area ahead of her and tried to slow down, but the current had caught her and was pulling her towards a deep chasm. She angled her body back and began kicking furiously, but couldn’t swim against it. She took a deep breath and looked around frantically, for something to hold onto, but didn’t see anything -- except for a person standing near the edge. She was going to float right by him!

“Help! Help me, please!” She cried out.

He turned to face her, his mouth opening in surprise. But before he could reply she recognized him.

“Belphegor? Please help me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Comments are always welcome. 
> 
> I'm planning to update at least once a week, but with any luck maybe a bit more frequently.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _She caught sight of a dark area ahead of her and tried to slow down, but the current had caught her and was pulling her towards a deep chasm. She angled her body back and began kicking furiously, but couldn’t swim against it. She took a deep breath and looked around frantically, for something to hold onto, but didn’t see anything -- except for a person standing near the edge. She was going to float right by him!_
> 
> _“Help! Help me, please!” She cried out._
> 
> _He turned to face her, his mouth opening in surprise. But before he could reply she recognized him._
> 
> _“Belphegor? Please help me!”  
> _

He was enjoying this, seeing her eyes widen with fright as she realized with sudden dread that she was being carried helplessly towards the abyss. He watched her fight the current and then, as she turned in the water, she seemed to catch sight of him. 

“Belphegor? Help!” 

He stared at her, startled out of his self-congratulatory state. Had he fucked up? She shouldn’t be able to see him. 

He stared at her as she was swept towards him, the current pulling her over his head. Her arms reached out for him. He wanted to let her float past, but he wanted to know how she recognized him more. Reaching a hand up, he caught her wrist and pulled her into his arms, surreptitiously stopping the current and smoothing the rocks on the ground.

She settled on the rock beside him, shaking with adrenaline. Belphegor looked over at her, noting the way her body moved as she breathed heavily. He cupped her cheek in his hand, capturing her gaze. 

“Are you ok?” He had to get the tone just right. If he wasn’t careful, he could say something that would snap her out of her dream. She stared at him, eyes wide.

“I think so…” 

He leaned in and kissed her gently. She melted into his embrace. He pulled back, stroking her cheek. 

“How did you know my name?” 

Her eyes fluttered open to gaze into his heavy-lidded ones. Her brow furrowed slightly. “There was… an article?”

He could see the more rational side of her brain waking, so he leaned forward and captured her lips again, running a hand down her side. She shivered at his touch and pressed into the kiss. He was very aware of the tension rising in his body. It had been some time since he’d indulged in this particular perk of dreamwalking, but she was warm and willing and-- he jerked up as he realized her alarm was sounding. Fuck. He flashed her a quick smile and vanished, returning to the attic. There was much to think on.

\-------------------------

She rolled over and switched off her alarm as she sat up. Ugh, nightmares culminating in a dream that left her feeling… frustrated. The last thing she wanted to feel was horny-- especially when she lived down the hall from the Avatar of Lust. Could he sense that kind of thing or was he just really good at inspiring that emotion? She sighed. If only there was someone she could ask about these kinds of things. 

She forced herself out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth and prepared for the day. She felt marginally better after her night of broken sleep, but all she wanted was to return to bed to finish that last dream. 

The day passed in a haze of class and chores and errands. Her mind kept drifting back to the strange dream she’d had. _I wonder if any of it means anything?_ At dinner, she stared through the platter in front of her, musing on the significance of a red ocean.

“Olivia, are you all right?” 

“Hmm?” She turned to see Lucifer staring at her. 

“I said, are you feeling ok? You seem distracted.”

“I’m just a little tired. I haven’t slept well the past few nights.” She bit the inside of her cheek as she realized she had just reminded the brothers of her sleepwalking incident. 

Sure enough Mammon blushed and Asmodeus smiled widely at her. 

“I’d be happy to help wear you out,” the Avatar of Lust offered with a flirty wink.

“I’m good.”

“I’ll bet you are.”

She rolled her eyes, not wanting to continue their exchange. Levi grumbled something about it not being fair and Beel continued to eat, but his ears turned red. Satan watched it all with a cat-like smirk. _Great_ , she thought. _Just great._

Lucifer continued as though he had not noticed. “On that note, I have made an appointment with a physician for you tomorrow afternoon. You will need to leave class a little early. I have taken the liberty of informing your teachers.”

“Thanks.” She mumbled, still not sure where she stood on the topic of seeing a demon doctor or of Lucifer managing her schedule like an overbearing parent. 

Conversation slowly picked up around her. Levi ducked out early to get to a raid he had scheduled and slowly everyone else tidied up their dishes and made their way out. Soon it was just Olivia and Satan.

“Are you finished with dinner?” Satan asked pointedly. “I’m on kitchen duty tonight.”

“Oh, yeah… want some help?” 

He raised an eyebrow. “Far be it from me to turn down help with dishes, but to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I was wondering what you know about the exchange program. Like… how were participants selected?” 

“Hmmm.” He handed her a towel and a damp dish. “You can dry. I don’t know a lot about that. Lucifer and Diavolo sequestered themselves and came out with two names. Judging from your confusion, they obviously didn’t do a lot of research into how these programs are handled in the human world.” The tone of his voice made it apparent that _he_ wouldn’t have overlooked that key component. 

“That makes sense.” She thought back to her confused arrival. She’d been putting away groceries when she had suddenly been in the great hall. Beelzebub had been delighted when she gave him the cans of corn she’d been holding. He had cracked them open immediately and drank them cold.

“Are there students in the Human and Celestial Realms, too?” 

“Yes, one of our brothers, Belphegor, is actually in the Human Realm. He’s there with Raum who is a crow half the time… kind of an odd choice, that.”

“Do you know where they were sent? Just wondering if they’re anywhere near where I’m from..” 

“Not really. You could try asking Lucif--”

“No thanks.”

Satan snorted. “I understand that sentiment. Feeling homesick?”

“Perhaps a little... But I’m also curious. Why was I selected as an exchange student? It doesn’t make much sense to me. Not that I mind or anything.” She was overexplaining again. She bit her lip.

“I’d be surprised if you were entirely enthusiastic. You’ve been here, what, a week? It’s a lot to take in.”

“Thanks.” She’d caught on that Satan, Avatar of Wrath, valued knowledge and didn’t suffer fools, but she’d assumed he was… what? Always angry? Incapable of compassion? She’d underestimated him.

He looked over at her. “You seem worn out. Go on-- there’s not much left here. Thanks for helping.” 

“You’re welcome.” She hung the towel up and made her way up to her room. She wanted to do a little more digging. 

She changed into her pajamas and got ready for bed and then pulled up her DDD and accessed the internet. She had planned to go talk to him again tonight, but first she wanted to do some research. She searched for Belphegor and, after trying a few different terms, found some surprising information. A terse encyclopedia entry summed it up best: 

**_Belphegor_ ** _\- Demon associated with laziness, sloth, inventions, and discoveries. Usually depicted as a horned, male figure on a toilet throne, although at times he is said to resemble a beautiful woman. Summoning rituals and worship may include excrement, displaying bodily orifices, and orgies._

Olivia’s eyes widened at this information. Excrement? She had planned to visit him, but her desire to speak with him had dissipated. She didn’t owe him anything…. Deciding to figure out what she wanted to do about him tomorrow, she plugged her DDD in and snuggled down under the covers. 

She fell asleep and almost immediately began dreaming. She was sitting on her shabby couch in her apartment and watching TV. She shifted, feeling something scratchy against her skin, and realized she was dressed in lace lingerie that left very little to the imagination. At that moment she also realized she was leaning against someone. Looking beside her, she saw Belphegor watching the screen, holding a bowl of popcorn. 

He caught her gaze and gave her a slow once-over before winking and grabbing another handful of popcorn. 

She found herself leaning away from him and against the arm of the couch. She gave him an appraising look. “What are you doing here?” 

“Just enjoying some popcorn and a show.” He motioned to the T.V. Now that she focused on it, she recognized an old black-and-white monster film.

“But… you’re supposed to be in the Human Realm.”

“Isn’t that where we are?”

She looked around her, but something wasn’t quite right. She stood up and wobbled, surprised to find herself wearing stiletto heels. Steadying herself on the arm of the couch, she carefully kicked off the heels and padded over to the window. She pulled back the curtain to reveal the beach with the red water. 

“I’ve never seen a beach like this in the Human Realm.” 

“Have you been to every beach?” His voice was husky and suddenly in her ear. 

She shivered in spite of herself. When she turned he was so close that her bra brushed against his chest. She met his gaze, feigning a confidence she didn’t feel. “Obviously not, but the sky is also wrong.” 

She moved, so he could see through the window. The sky was the peculiar shade of amber that only happened in the Devildom. The second moon was also a bit of a giveaway that they weren’t in the human world. 

“Hmmmm. Maybe you’re right.” 

“So, Belphegor. Excrement?” 

A muscle in his jaw clenched, the only sign he had heard her. He finally sighed and added, “A poorly executed joke. Ask Mammon about it sometime.”

She opened her mouth to inquire further, but he took a step back. “I don’t have time for this.” He walked out the door without looking back and vanished.

“Wait- I..” She looked around her and shrugged, returning to the couch. At least she could enjoy some comfort in the privacy of her quasi-home. She found a throw blanket and snuggled up to watch some trashy TV.

\-------------------------

Belphegor opened his eyes to see Lucifer at his door. 

“I brought you dinner.”

“Gee, thanks.” Belphegor didn’t move from his comfortable sprawl on the couch. 

“Have you reconsidered your position on humans?"

“Have you reconsidered the stick up your ass?”

Lucifer sighed deeply. “You know it pains me to keep you here.”

“So, why don’t you let me out. I’d love to meet your sweet exchange student.” Belphegor grinned up at Lucifer. 

Lucifer’s expression hardened. “You know Diavolo would have your head for this.”

“And you’d let him.” Belphegor slumped back and closed his eyes. “You used to be…better than that.” He slowed his breathing and pretended to go back to sleep, forcing his limbs to relax in spite of the rage he could feel coursing through him. 

The tray clattered onto a nearby table and Lucifer strode from the room, slamming the attic door behind him. 

That was a close one. If Lucifer had caught him wandering….

But he didn’t think anyone even remembered he could still use that skill, except maybe Beel. It had been years since he’d last dreamwalked. That said, he groaned in frustration and palmed his erection through his pants. He’d been so close to having some fun with the human. 

_Well_ , he thought as he unzipped his pants and began to stroke himself, _there is always tomorrow night. Maybe next time I'll dress her up in leather_ …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to AFamiliarWitch for her help polishing this!
> 
> Also, on the encyclopedia entry... that's pulled from various sources. I did not make that up, although I did condense the information. 
> 
> Thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> That was a close one. If Lucifer had caught him wandering…._
> 
> _But he didn’t think anyone even remembered he could still use that skill, except maybe Beel. It had been years since he’d last dreamwalked. That said, he groaned in frustration and palmed his erection through his pants. He’d been so close to having some fun with the human._
> 
> _Well, he thought as he unzipped his pants and began to stroke himself, there is always tomorrow night. Maybe next time I'll dress her up in leather…_  
> 

Olivia woke up a few minutes before her alarm, feeling rested. She’d had a strangely boring dream- well except for the first bit- but it had been comforting to be back in a familiar place, even if the sky was wrong. 

She bounced out of bed and got dressed. She even made it downstairs in time to see Beelzebub starting breakfast.

“How can I help?” The large demon had intimidated her, but she was determined to make the most of her time here, and if she could have a conversation with Satan, she could help Beelzebub cook. 

“Uhhh, can you scramble some eggs?”

“Sure thing. Where’s the pan?” 

Beelzebub directed her to where pots and pans were stored and she began whisking four dozen eggs. 

“You seem well rested.”

“Yeah. I had a nice dream.” She carefully poured the eggs into a pan and began stirring, making sure they didn’t cook too fast.

She glanced over at him and met his eyes. They were a vivid violet. Just like Belphegor’s…

“Hey, do you know how they picked the exchange students?” 

“Not really. Diavolo and Lucifer made the final decision. I know there was a lot of paperwork, especially for the human students…” His voice trailed off, distracted by the food in front of him. Olivia was about to chime in with another question when he continued.

“I wanted to go in Belphie’s place, but Lucifer thought it would be good for him considering… “ His head jerked up and he looked at her, as though remembering exactly who he was talking to. 

“Considering what?”

“Uh, the eggs are burning!”

She looked intently at the pan in front of her, but they were fine. She turned back to face Beelzebub, but he was in the other room, setting the table. She vigorously stirred the solidifying eggs. _Why is it so hard to get a straight answer out of anyone?_

\-------------------------

Olivia had forgotten what a restful night’s sleep could do for her. She felt like she learned more in classes on that one day than in the previous week. Even her visit to the physician had been little more than a frank discussion. Thankfully, Dr. Marbas had reassured Lucifer that sleepwalking wasn’t anything to be too concerned about. 

At the end of the day she was tired, but satisfied. Maybe this exchange program wouldn’t be so bad.

After dinner she stayed in the living room, working on homework near the fire. Satan was reading on the couch and Levi stretched out on a chaise lounge playing a handheld game. 

The warmth of the fire and quiet companionship soothed her. The next thing she knew, Satan was gently shaking her awake and reminding her that it wasn’t good to treat books like pillows. 

She smiled and gathered her things, carrying them up to her room. She glanced at the time and realized it was late. She’d been planning to stop by the attic room again, but… she was sleepy and he’d been rude. She frowned or, at least, he had been rude in her dream? The real him and dream him were bleeding together in her mind. _But that_ , she decided, _is a problem for tomorrow_. 

With that, she slipped between the covers and closed her eyes.

\-------------------------

Olivia made polite apologies as she carefully wove between other formally-attired guests and up a set of stairs. Once out of sight, she hiked up the voluminous skirts of her gown, so she could move freely as she paced the halls of the labyrinthine mansion. Where was it? She couldn’t quite remember what she had to find, but knew that it was imperative. She also knew she’d know what it looked like when she found it. 

She turned a corner and bumped into someone wearing a tux. Belphegor turned and smirked at her as he grasped her hand and pulled her against him, one hand going to her waist as though they were about to waltz. 

“Looking for something?”

“I… I was. Do you know where it is? ...or what it is?” Her voice trailed off, losing the tenuous thread she had as she looked up at him. Her gaze fell to his lips and, when she realized what she was doing, she tried to step back, but he held her tight.

“One dance, my lady?” 

Her skin felt hot, but she looked up at him. “Will you help me find it? After this?” 

He inclined his head, playing the part of a gentleman. “But of course.” 

She expected him to head back to the ballroom, but he stepped away from her into a small room lined with portraits and opened a window. The music drifted in on the fragrant night air. 

Her eyes tracked him and when he paused by the window she approached. “I thought you wanted a dance…”

“Yes, but not this one. A waltz that’s nearly finished? No.” She listened as the final strains of the waltz faded. 

She had never been particularly graceful, but when the opening notes of a tango reached them, she knew just what to do. He grasped her waist and hand, advancing with quick steps. She followed his lead, moving backwards rapidly, their legs almost tangling. She glanced down and realized her ball gown had shifted into a slinky dress with a high slit, allowing her to follow the steps of the dance, but also exposing a long strip of her bare leg. 

She should have been focusing on the dance, but somehow her body knew the steps... which freed her mind to notice how close his body was. As they moved, she caught the faint scent of smoldering spice on the air. His hand burned against the bare skin of her lower back. Almost as if he noticed her attention, his hand dipped lower, caressing the swell of her ass over the thin fabric of her dress before returning to her back. Her pulse raced and she looked up into his eyes. He was watching her intently. She moistened her lips and did not look away. His smirk widened into a toothy grin. 

She flicked her leg between his and then back, the motions feeling more intimate than a dance had any right to. His thumb traced the inside of her palm and the gap between their torsos vanished as he pulled her against him, stumbling through the final steps. The music ended with a flourish as he dipped her and she arched her back over his thigh, extending one leg in a dramatic finale. 

Breathing heavily, she lifted her head and found her lips claimed in a feverish kiss. The heat seemed to spark through her, kindling the growing heat low in her belly. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pressing against him and kissing him back with a ferocious intensity. She moaned as he drew back, her lower lip carefully caught between his teeth. 

She took a deep breath, trying to slow her pulse. 

“Now will you help me look?” 

“What are you searching for?” 

She blinked up at him. “I’m still not really sure, but I’ll know it when I see it.” She finished brightly, feigning a certainty that she no longer felt. 

He didn’t seem completely convinced. “And that’s enough to pull you away from this?” He traced the edge of her face and trailed his fingertips down her neck to the top of her bodice, skimming the tops of her breasts. Heat followed his caress and she felt a flush spread across her cheeks and down her chest. 

“Regrettably so.” He didn’t seem inclined to move. She untwined her arms from around his neck and pressed gently against his chest. “You did promise.” 

Sighing deeply, he stood, helping her up with him. “So I did.” 

They spent the rest of the interminable dream wandering the halls of the mansion up marble staircases and around dusty hallways. She couldn’t describe what it was they were looking for beyond the fact it was about the size of a football, but kept insisting she had to find it. 

When her alarm went off, she awoke, and the dream dissipated, except for the sensation of being frustrated. That lingered the rest of the day. 

\-------------------------

Belphie stretched, annoyed yet again. If only she had been able to describe what she was looking for, he’d have been able to make it appear and they could have returned to their fun. If he didn’t have to tread so lightly, he’d have made a more _passionate_ overture, but, really, it didn’t matter.

What was he doing getting caught up in dumb dream games with a human? She was nothing but a tool to be used. He wanted out of this prison. He wanted revenge on humanity. She was going to help him, whether she wanted to or not. 

\-------------------------

It was another lazy evening in the living room. Olivia had finished her homework and was idly scrolling through Devilgram. Belphegor hadn’t posted much, but she’d finally scrolled far enough back to get to Leviathan’s posts featuring Belphegor.

He didn’t seem to smile much in the photos, but it was interesting to see a more normal side of him-- not locked in the attic, not kissing her underwater… well, she’d take the underwater kissing any day. Still, it was unusual for one person to show up in her dreams that frequently. Why was she so fixated on him? 

She looked up at the sound of quiet profanity and realized Mammon was the only one left in the room with her. His hands were jerking as he typed out a message with staccato touches.

“You ok?” 

“Yeah, some dipshit says I owe ‘em money. Fuck! If it was a loan, they shoulda said.”

“Ah.”

“Gah! This is so frustrating!” He tossed his DDD onto the couch beside him. “What are ya doing?” 

“Just scrolling through Devilgram.”

“Oh yeah? See anything ya like?” He winked and then blushed beet red before stammering out: “Not that I care if ya do!”

“Oh.” Unsure of how to respond, she changed tactics. “I saw a post about a prank war between your brothers— do you do that a lot ?”

“Nah, not for a while. I mean, Satan’s always sending cursed scrolls or paintings or… well, cursed anything to Lucifer.” His eyes lit up, “Although there was this one time I managed to auction off dates with my brothers. Made a pretty penny up until…” 

“Until?”

“Well, Lucifer found out when he got an angry voicemail from one winner and I was strung up from the ceiling for a week. I also had to pay everyone back.”

Olivia giggled. “I would have loved to see his face. How did you auction them off?

“Online, of course! I set up a whole website; www.Sinfuldates.dv. Of course, the bidders thought the proceeds were going to charity, but…” He shrugged. “I used some great candid shots and a few formal ones from a student council dinner.”

“That’s incredible.” 

Mammon seemed to puff up with pride at the memory of his victory, even if it had only been temporary. 

“Who went for the most?”

“Well it woulda been me, but I wasn't selling myself, obviously. I think Lucifer, but I remember the second-highest--it was Levi. Weird, huh? I think there was a bidding war between a couple of really devoted gamers who just wanted to meet him in person.” 

That made a certain kind of sense, although when she tried to picture Leviathan on a date she came up short. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him give his entire attention to something that wasn’t electronic. 

“Oh and then there was the time I got Belphie.”

“Who? Oh, your baby brother?” 

“Yeah. He’s in the Human Realm right now, but he’d made a pact with a human I really wanted, so I managed to convince some folks that his throne was also a toilet. And they believed it!” Mammon fell back on the couch, laughter bubbling up. 

“How did you do that?” This conversation was tickling something in the back of her brain, but she couldn’t quite recall...

“I don’t remember-- it wasn’t actually that hard. A few humans took that nugget of ‘forbidden knowledge’ and ran with it. The next time someone summoned him they drew the summoning circle in their own shit!” 

That surprised a laugh out of her, imagining Belphegor arriving among a bunch of arcane symbols inscribed in excrement. Mammon was laughing so hard that he was crying. 

“Oh goodness, I can’t imagine being summoned is pleasant in general, but that …”

“Yup.” He took a deep breath. “Belphie was lucky, though. They eventually screwed up the rituals enough that he didn't have to appear. There were some really sick freaks who tried to get favors from him during that time.”

Lucifer suddenly appeared in the doorway. “It’s way past time for you two to head to bed. It is a school night.” 

“Yes, dad.” Olivia quipped before realizing she was doing it. 

Lucifer’s eyes flashed with a hint of something dangerous and she back-pedaled quickly.

“I mean, sorry, yeah, going that way. Thanks, Lucifer.” Olivia quickly gathered up her books and notes. She couldn’t believe that, for a moment, she’d forgotten that she was in a house full of demons. 

Lying in bed as she was about to drift off, she suddenly remembered where she’d heard about Mammon’s prank on Belphie. _That had to have been a dream… right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay! Will be posting more soon, promise! :) 
> 
> As before, many thanks to AFamiliarWitch for beta-ing!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Lucifer suddenly appeared in the doorway. “It’s way past time for you two to head to bed. It is a school night.”_
> 
> _“Yes, dad.” Olivia quipped before realizing she was doing it._
> 
> _Lucifer’s eyes flashed with a hint of something dangerous and she back-pedaled quickly._
> 
> _“I mean, sorry, yeah, going that way. Thanks, Lucifer.” Olivia quickly gathered up her books and notes. She couldn’t believe that, for a moment, she’d forgotten that she was in a house full of demons._
> 
> _Lying in bed as she was about to drift off, she suddenly remembered where she’d heard about Mammon’s prank on Belphie. That had to have been a dream… right?_

That night Olivia slipped up the attic again. She strode straight to the door and knocked, peering in through the grate.

“Belphegor. I have a question.” 

He sat up from where he’d been dozing. “What are you doing here?” He stared at her, clearly waiting for her to finish so he could resume his nap. 

… And, now that she was here, this whole idea seemed stupid. What  _ was  _ she going to ask? ‘Excuse me, demon sir, have you been invading my dreams?’ 

Instead, she paused for a moment, taking him in and then asked the other thing that had been on her mind. “Why aren’t you in the Human Realm?”

His eyebrows rose, disappearing beneath the messy hair falling across his forehead. “Figured that out, have you?” He stretched languidly then sauntered towards the door, something dark and predatory in his eyes.

She watched him closely as he approached, taking an involuntary step back as he neared the grate. She froze as soon as she realized what she’d done, unwilling to give further ground. This was not the person who rescued her from an abyss or tangoed with her in a dream. She didn’t know him and something in his expression caused her guts to twist painfully. She held her position there, waiting. 

“Maybe you’re smarter than you seem….” He paused looking at her. “I wound up here due to a misunderstanding with Lucifer. He’s not the best listener.” He gritted his teeth. “And you may have noticed that once he has made up his mind he rarely changes it.”

That made sense to her. She’d seen Lucifer stick to decisions, even over silly things if he thought it’d make him look dumb. He was the Avatar of Pride, after all. 

Ignoring the dig at her intelligence, she pressed on. “So what was the disagreement about? Did you not want to go to the Human Realm?”

He looked at her for a long moment. “Something like that.” 

“That hardly seems fair. Mammon gets away with auctioning off dates, but you’re locked up for not wanting to study abroad.”

His face broke into a glass-sharp smile. “Exactly. If I could get out of here and just have an honest conversation with my brothers, I’m sure we could find a compromise.”

“Wait, none of them know you’re here?”

“No. Lucifer is the only one.”

“Why can’t you just… demon magic yourself out of there?” 

“Obviously, I can't just open this door. As far as I can tell, none of my brothers can even see this room.” They certainly hadn’t been able to hear him after he’d yelled himself hoarse that first night and dreamwalking didn’t work the same between demons. He shuddered recalling his attempts to contact Beel in his dreams. “I suspect that if someone was able to harness my brothers’ abilities, they’d be able to overpower the magic on the door. As the eldest, Lucifer can do that.”

He looked her over. “Do you want to help me?”

“With what?” 

He rolled his eyes and gestured to the locked door between them. “Well, a human who made pacts with all of my brothers could probably open the door. You’re human enough, but I’m not sure you’d be up to the challenge.” 

Her eyes narrowed at his dismissal. “What does a pact entail?” 

“It’s an agreement, kind of a trade off. You give them a bit of your soul and they grant you some of their power. You can call them if you need help. Or even make them obey commands… my brothers are very talented.”

She flushed at the look that he shot her way on the last bit. 

“I’ll have to think on it. I’m rather attached to my soul.”

“Of course.” He pursed his lips. “Well, if that is all.” He waved his hand dismissively at her and flopped back onto his bed, closing his eyes.

\-------------------------

He waited until the human disappeared down the steps and then leapt to his feet, pacing the confines of his small room.

It wasn’t likely she would manage pacts with his brothers, but it was one possible way out of this mess. He couldn't believe it hadn't occurred to him before. Otherwise…  _ Was he going to be stuck here for the remaining year? Even longer? _ He had to admit, Lucifer was very good at holding a grudge.

For the first time in weeks he felt a spark of hope. He knew there was little chance of the human succeeding-- even if she decided she wanted to help.  _ I should probably try to be a bit nicer to her _ , he thought with a sigh.

\-------------------------

Olivia knew she was dreaming as she walked through a verdant forest, drawn to a glowing light in the distance. She was barefoot and soft moss cushioned each step. There was something strangely comfortable about this space. She hadn’t spent much time in forests, but she felt completely safe for the first time since being brought to the Devildom.

She continued towards the light at a comfortable pace. She had no doubt that she would make it to the light. It would wait for her. 

\-------------------------

Belphegor placed his hand on a sleeping Olivia’s forehead and could suddenly see her walking a path between lush trees. His stomach flipped. He knew this place. The human should not be able to dream of the Celestial Woods.  _ How would she even know what it looks like? This is impossible!? _

He slipped behind a gnarled yew tree and watched her stroll along an overgrown path. He couldn’t see where she was headed, but he sensed another, strangely familiar presence. It had been too long since he last tasted Celestial magic like this… he couldn’t remember. 

He watched her for a moment longer before drifting out of her dream and returning to his room.  _ What Celestial being had taken an interest in Olivia? She had a pure soul, but other than that she seemed a perfectly boring human _ . 

He fell asleep only to find himself in a nightmare he had long since banished. He was playing hide-and-seek with his little sister, but he couldn’t find her. He grew more and more frantic, until he woke, Lilith still missing. 

He sat up sweating.

It couldn’t be.

\-------------------------

Olivia stared into her breakfast, swirling her spoon absentmindedly through her oatmeal. 

A piece of her soul. She’d never been terribly religious, but living among demons who would trade favors for parts of her soul made her wonder what else the religious sorts had gotten right.  _ Would sharing parts of it damn her? Was the Devildom the same as Hell or were there worse places? And not just one piece of my soul, but seven… would there even be anything left of me after that? _

Though she wouldn’t mind being able to call for help. Making Mammon call her by her name instead of “human” would also be a perk. Her mind skipped to the other things she could command and flushed, nibbling on her lower lip. She would never order anything like that. She wouldn’t take advantage... Even still her mind turned to what it might be like to kiss one of them or more. Would it be like her dream with Belphegor or would it be something different? 

“What’s wrong?”

She jolted to sit up straight in her seat. “Huh?”

Beelzebub sat next to her motioning to her breakfast. “You’ve hardly eaten anything and now you’re sighing.”

“Sorry, Beelzebub. Just thinking.”

“Well thinking requires energy—make sure you eat some breakfast.” He refilled his plate from the platters in front of him. “Also, call me Beel. When people call me Beelzebub, I feel like I’m getting lectured by Lucifer.”

She smiled at that. “Sure thing, Beel.”

And with that she tucked into her oatmeal, letting out a quiet cry of surprise when she realized that Devildom oatmeal was very spicy. 

\-------------------------

Belphegor had sat up the rest of the night trying to make sense of what he’d felt in Olivia's dream. He didn’t even bother to yell at Lucifer when he brought up a tray. . 

_ How was it that a human dreamed of a place found only in the Celestial Realm? And, even more, how was it that her dream tasted of Lilith?  _

His memories of Lilith were intertwined with his memories of time spent among humans … maybe that was why he sensed her? Not because of the human, but because of his own associations?

That didn’t quite fit, but it made more sense than a random, inconsequential, human exchange student having ties to his dead sister. 

\-------------------------

That night Belphegor waited in the corner of Olivia’s room, watching intently as she shifted in her sleep. She was wearing pajamas with a high neck and long sleeves. She’d ordered the modest pajamas after being caught sleepwalking. He smirked at the memory of her naked stroll.

But still, there was nothing out of the ordinary. He laid his ghostly hand on her head and dipped into her dream. She was failing a test and had forgotten to wear pants. He paused to admire the view before heading back to his bed. 

There was nothing interesting here. He was tired. 

\-------------------------

Olivia dreamed of the woods every night for a week. Each night she would start the evening in a mundane dream, but eventually, she’d be walking somewhere and the scenery would shift and she’d find herself among trees. Each time she made it a bit further down the path and each day she woke with a sense of loss. Something was calling to her and she longed for it, but no matter how far she walked the light seemed to stay just beyond the next ridge, just past the next stand of trees. 

The eighth night she fell into a different kind of dream. She was back on her couch in her old apartment. The couch fabric was plusher than she remembered and this time she was wearing a silky nightgown and robe. Better than the lacy lingerie, she supposed.

Belphegor was seated next to her, also in silky pajamas. Instead of popcorn, this time he had a bag of strawberry licorice. He held the bag out to her when he noticed her looking. 

“No, thanks. I’m not a big licorice fan.” 

He shrugged and turned back to the T.V. They were watching  _ The Princess Bride _ , a film she’d loved as a child. Belphegor seemed to be entranced as he slowly chewed on the candy. 

“I’m dreaming right now, right?” 

“Shhhhh-- this is a good part.” 

“But, are you really here? Why are we watching  _ The Princess Bride _ ?” 

He sighed and pushed pause on the remote. “I was bored and this is pretty much engraved in your memories.. Except, well that seems a bit sexier.” He waggled his eyebrows at her as a mostly-nude Wesley capered on screen. 

“You’re the one playing around in my subconscious. Are you… really here?”

“It’s your dream. What do you think?” 

“I… don’t know?” 

He turned to face her and leaned forward cupping her face in his hands. Inches from her face he whispered. “What do you want to happen next?”

She blushed beet red as the dream shifted slightly. His shirt was gone, revealing a smooth expanse of chest. If this was a dream… she lifted her hand and traced it along his collarbone. 

She looked back up into his face to see that familiar smirk as he pulled her in for a kiss. His lips were soft at first as they moved slowly against hers. He ran a hand through her hair and then gripped it at the base of her head, controlling the kiss as he deepened it, plunging his tongue into her mouth. She tried to lean into him, but he pulled back, brushing her lips with his tongue as he moved away

“What now?” he asked. 

She blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

“The dreamer has control of their own dreams.”  _ Well, mostly _ , he silently amended. But he wasn’t going to tip his hand. And he wanted to see what she’d do. 

She paused for a moment, then clarified, “We can do whatever I want?” 

“Whatever you can imagine.” His heavy-lidded eyes burned holes in her, seeming to dare her to do ...something. 

She met his gaze and exhaled slowly, trying to focus on something other than his lips. Her eyes drifted closed and she willed away the sensation of the couch under her, shifting the cushions into something softer. She imagined being wrapped in a warm blanket against the cool breeze of the upper atmosphere. As Belphegor watched, the room dissolved, leaving them on a soft bank of clouds. Olivia’s eyes flew open when she felt the soft cloud under her. 

“I-- I didn’t expect that to work.”

She ran her fingers through the misty surface of the cloud. She knew it was water vapor, but she had made it solid enough to support her. She swirled a fingertip through the mist, making it twirl around and form a peak, like the top of an ice cream cone. As she watched the white puff reflected shifting blues and greens. Her eyes lit up. 

“It worked!”

She turned her face up to a sky, swirling with the aurora borealis. Ripples of green and magenta shimmered, seeming to flow across a deep blue expanse speckled with stars. 

She stretched out on her back, clouds forgotten to watch the vibrant shades shift above her, dizzying in their intensity. 

Belphegor blinked, surprised and a little disappointed, before laying down beside her. 

“I’ve always wanted to see this.” She whispered in awe. 

“Technically, you’re not—“

“Shhhh. Let me enjoy this.

He shrugged and settled in to watch the lights dance above them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> I am sorry for being so slow with updates. I have a huge work project this week, so it may be a bit longer between chaptrrs for a while.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> “It worked!”_
> 
> _She turned her face up to a sky, swirling with the aurora borealis. Ripples of green and magenta shimmered and wavered seeming to flow across a deep blue speckled with stars._
> 
> _She stretched out on her back, clouds forgotten to watch the vibrant shades shift above her, dizzying in their intensity._
> 
> _Belphegor blinked and then lay down beside her._
> 
> _“I’ve always wanted to see this.” She whispered in awe._
> 
> _“Technically, you’re not—“_
> 
> _“Shhhh. Let me enjoy this._
> 
> _He shrugged and settled in to watch the lights dance above them._
> 
> __

Olivia fell into a rhythm. By day she learned the history of the Devildom, studied classic literature (she’d been particularly intrigued by the demonic perspective on Dante’s  _ Inferno _ ), and attempted to absorb the basics of magic. 

Each night she dreamed. 

Sometimes her dreams were normal, but as time passed it took less and less effort to exert control. Thus far she’d found the holy grail, led a parade of dinosaurs through Atlantis, and gone on a date with her college crush. (That had been scrapped when she couldn’t quite remember his features and his eyes kept shifting to a particular shade of violet). Each outlandish fantasy became a challenge as to what she could create in her dreams. So far she hadn’t found her limit, except in the dreams about the forest. 

These dreams started like any other. She’d invariably find herself walking somewhere and the landscape would shift. Unable to stop walking, she would try to make the trees melt away or turn the path into a stream that would carry her rapidly forward. In the dream she felt calm, but underneath she was desperate to reach the light. Most attempts she managed simply made the dream dissolve into something mundane that she could easily control. Other times, she’d wake up. She wondered if it was because she didn’t have a clear image of what waited for her in the light. She wondered if she would ever figure it out. 

\-------------------------

“Have you seen her?!”

“Who?” Olivia had never seen Mammon so distraught. His face was red and blotchy and his sunglasses were smudged with tears. 

“GOLDIE! My one, my only.” 

“Ummm?” Olivia was unaware of Mammon having any romantic relationships. “What does she look like? Where was the last place you saw her?”

“She was in my room! She’s small and gold and perfect!”

This wasn’t helping. She turned a quizzical look towards Satan who had just walked in the front door, his arms full of books from the Royal Library. 

“Hmm?”

“Mammon’s lost Goldie?”

Satan shook his head and continued walking. “He’s talking about his credit card.”

Surely she had misheard. She turned back to Mammon. “Your credit card?”

“Please use her name! And, yes, my one and only. She and I have a relationship that will never fade. She’s perfect.” His face fell. “And she’s gone” 

“Uhhh… I’m really sorry.” 

“You have to help me find her! Please?”

“I…”

“Pleaasseeee? I’ll give you anything you want!”

She thought briefly of Belphegor and pacts, but she still wasn’t sure if fracturing her soul for the sake of freeing a strange and somewhat-unsettling demon was something she wanted to do. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was to extort someone into being bound to her soul. 

“You don’t have to do anything, just… owe me one. Ok?”

Olivia accompanied Mammon to his room and together they searched. While she found countless receipts for luxury goods, a gold-plated golf ball, and several dozen pairs of designer sunglasses, there was no sign of Goldie. 

Mammon slumped down on his couch, exhausted.

“We’ll try again tomorrow, ok?” She patted the demon’s soft, white hair.

He mumbled a quiet thanks and sank further down, turning his attention to his DDD. Sighing Olivia returned to her room to continue studying for her upcoming test on the Celestial conflict. 

\-------------------------

The text was swimming in front of her face, but she had to finish this assignment by tomorrow. She shifted in her chair. Maybe a change of scenery? 

She glanced around her room. The only other furniture was her bed and that wouldn’t help her stay awake. The library was out-- last time she’d studied in therey Satan had given her endless dirty looks. It wasn’t her fault she tended to fidget and click her pen as she worked! She could hear Asmo holding court among some of his admirers in the living room. Her grades couldn’t afford for her to get drawn into that tonight, although the squeals of laughter echoing the hall made it a tempting prospect. 

_ What if...? Nobody would look for me there. _

She gathered her study materials, a pillow to sit on, and headed down the hall.

\-------------------------

The quiet clicking of a ballpoint pen woke him.  _ Beel must be doing some last minute homework, so he doesn’t get kicked off the team _ … He rolled over and nuzzled his face deeper into the pillow before remembering where he was.  _ How did Beel get into the attic?!? _

Sitting up with a start, he looked over to see Olivia on the floor outside of his room. She was leaning against the far wall with papers and books spread around her, a focused look on her face.

She looked up as he moved. “Oh, sorry to wake you. I couldn’t find a quiet place to work.”

He raised an eyebrow, “So you came here?”

“Is it a problem? I can go...” 

“I don’t particularly care.” He lay back down, listening to the soft rustle of papers and scratching of pen on page. 

Truthfully, it was kind of nice to have someone around. He had rarely been alone before now. He and Beel had shared a room for as long as he could remember. And, coming from a large family, he usually had to work to find privacy. He had to admit, of all of his brothers, he was the most suited to confinement as he was constantly slipping away for a nap. But that had always been  _ his  _ choice. He burrowed deeper into his blankets and dozed. 

“I’m going to get a snack-- want anything?”

“Huh?” He blinked blearily at her. 

“Snacks. Want something?”

Belphie wasn’t as excited by food as his twin, but he had grown accustomed to late night treats with Beel. He felt a dull ache in his stomach that wasn’t quite hunger. “Sure. Something crunchy? And a soda.” Lucifer never brought him sodas.

“I’ll see what I can find.” He watched as she strode off, stretching as she walked. 

\-------------------------

She slipped down the stairs, pausing carefully to listen before she walked around the last turn. Once the coast was clear, she continued on down to the kitchen. 

Luck was on her side. There was a six-pack of Snap, a blood-colored soda, and several bags of chips. She gathered those and paused by the fridge. Carefully setting her selection of treats on the counter, she opened the freezer door and reached to the back, behind the ice tray. She’d had to find a new hiding place for her food. She didn’t think that Beel intentionally ate all of her snacks, but it had happened often enough that she had taken to stashing them in out-of-the-way places. 

She stood on her tiptoes and reached into the back, feeling for the sleeve of cookies she had secreted there. Something glinted in the back-- she grabbed at it, expecting the foil bag of her treats and found, instead, a ...gold credit card.  _ This can’t be.  _

She pried it out from the accumulated ice at the back and, sure enough, it had Mammon’s name on it.  _ Well, I’ll be damned.  _ She smirked.  _ Maybe literally, depending on what I do with this.  _ After a moment, she slipped the cool plastic into her pocket, grabbed her sleeve of cookies and the rest of the snacks and slunk upstairs. 

She’d return it to him later. 

\-------------------------

Olivia had to break the sodas out of the plastic rings to hand them through the grate. She opened the bags of chips to deflate them slightly and handed them through, her hand tingling where Belphegor’s fingers brushed against hers.

She settled back onto her cushion and munched a cookie contemplatively. 

“So why can’t I just tell your brothers you’re up here?”

Belphegor’s eyes snapped to her face. “And how would you explain that? Even if they believed you, even if you managed to keep Beel from losing his cool, do you think they’d all unite against Lucifer? Do you think they’d be able to wrest control from him? I’m not so eager to see my family torn apart.” 

“Oh… but escaping wouldn’t cause issues?”

“There will be issues no matter what.” His gaze grew distant. “ Lucifer has guaranteed that, but I can’t let Beel wage a battle without me there.” 

“So if I manage to release you, I’ll be causing a fight?”

“If you convince Beel I’m being held captive, you will certainly have a fight on your hands. If I’m there, there’s a chance I can temper things, that we can come to an agreement.” 

“And to free you I only have to trade away pieces of myself?”

“It’s not like you wouldn’t be getting anything in return. My brothers are the strongest demons in the Devildom. You would be allied to the most powerful demons in creation. Nothing would dare touch you.” 

“Hmmm.. I’ve never wanted power and I don’t enjoy relying on anyone else for my protection. It still seems like I’m giving away a core piece of myself in exchange for something I don’t want. I do want to help you, but…”

“Do you think our powers are only political?” He had to draw her back in. He was NOT losing this lifeline.

He had her attention again.  _ Good.  _

“We’re existed for millennia and have honed our magical abilities for almost as long. I don’t even know the full extent of their skills, but imagine having Satan’s knowledge at your beck and call? Or Beel’s strength? Even Mammon, idiotic as he seems, has a variety of skills. You would never want for money.” 

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Well, what powerful abilities have you been honing over the ages?” She stared pointedly at him. 

“I and any abilities I have are stuck here.” He could read the suspicion in her gaze. He made a note to be more careful when visiting her dreams. 

“Ah. I guess if you could, you’d have already freed yourself.” 

“Exactly.” He tried not to look too relieved. Truthfully, he  _ had  _ tried to communicate with his brothers in their dreams, but demon dreams were tricky and he’d given up after Beel almost ate him. Twice.

The silence grew, punctuated by the sound of Belphegor popping open the tab on a can of Snap.

“Well… I’ve got to get back to this essay.” She settled against the far wall and resumed sorting through her notes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience and all the incredibly kind comments. I cannot overstate how much I appreciate them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> “I and any abilities I have are stuck here.” He could read the suspicion in her gaze. He made a note to be more careful when visiting her dreams._
> 
> _“Ah. I guess if you could, you’d have already freed yourself.”_
> 
> _“Exactly.” He tried not to look too relieved. Truthfully, he had tried to communicate with his brothers in their dreams, but demon dreams were tricky and he’d given up after Beel almost ate him. Twice._
> 
> _The silence grew, punctuated by the sound of Belphegor popping open the tab on a can of Snap._
> 
> _“Well… I’ve got to get back to this essay.” She settled against the far wall and resumed sorting through her notes.  
> _

Belphegor didn’t appear in her dreams, at least not in any substantial way, for almost two weeks. She had almost given up on seeing more than a flicker of him at the corners of her dreams. That said, she couldn’t deny the timing only upped her suspicion. He had been appearing in her dreams reliably every couple of nights until she asked him about it? 

But he was here now. 

They were walking barefoot in snow, a bright moon illuminating an expanse of glittering white. There was a tinge of cold, just enough to turn the tip of her nose pink, but not so much that she needed a heavy coat or boots. The ice crystals crunched underneath her feet, compacting into a smooth surface.

“I haven’t decided the first thing I’ll do when I’m back in the human realm. Aside from catching up with friends and family, I’ll probably do something mellow like spend an afternoon sunbathing and munching on all my favorite snacks. What’s the first thing you’ll do once you’re out of the attic?”

Belphegor opened his mouth.

“--Aside from yelling at Lucifer.” Olivia caught him before he started speaking. 

He pursed his lips a moment before replying. “Hmmm… probably watch one of Beel’s games. I rarely make them, but I imagine I’ve had enough alone time to last me a while. And it always makes him so happy.”

“Huh.”

“Not what you were expecting?”

“Well, I’m not sure what I was expecting… especially since I said yelling at Lucifer couldn’t be your answer, but that seems ...surprisingly sweet?” 

“I'm not always a surly prick. Surprisingly, being confined doesn't bring out the best in me. On the topic of breaking me out, how are the pacts coming?” 

“Ummmm…” her thoughts flickered to Goldie, hidden in her desk drawer. She hadn’t yet decided how she wanted to proceed with Mammon and had been too busy to do much research into pacts. 

“That well, huh?” 

“Well, where would you start?” 

“Hmmm… Mammon seems like the easiest mark. And you have ready access to him as he’s supposed to be keeping an eye on you. Levi or Asmo might be a good bet, but they’re a bit wilier. Satan is too clever. He’ll see through you.” 

“And what about Beel?”

For some reason he found the idea of Beel forming a pact with a human,  _ this  _ human, distasteful, but he had to admit the gentle glutton would be a decent first pact. 

“Beel would probably be a good start, too.” 

“Protecting your twin from this icky human?” She kicked at a snow drift, watching the powder fly up into the air and pause, shimmering against the night sky. 

“Icky?” He stopped walking and turned, pulling her into his chest. “Maybe I just don’t want to share?” He looked down into her eyes, the lie ringing truer than he intended. 

“O-oh.” She quickly looked down, face flushing. 

“Come now.” He whispered in her ear. “Why are you suddenly so shy?” 

_ Because I can’t tell what’s real anymore! _ , she wanted to yell. Instead she nibbled her bottom lip. “I… I don’t know.” She met his gaze and watched as he slowly leaned down, claiming her mouth in a kiss. 

Something in her relaxed at the now-familiar touch of his lips and she found herself sinking into him, body pressing close as his hands slid down to the curve of her lower back and his tongue slipped into her mouth. Her clothes began to melt on her feverish skin, trickling down her shoulders and pooling in the softening snow at her feet. 

The tickling sensation drew her attention back and she pulled away from the kiss, freezing her clothing where it was, rivulets barely obscuring anything. Despite the heat, Belphegor’s clothing was intact, except for where hers had dripped onto him. He took a step back and appraised her. 

“This is a good look on you.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest with a pout. “This is all your fault.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He stepped in close, nuzzling her and then running his tongue down the side of her neck, trailing the warm wetness of his mouth along the exposed swells of her breasts and other patches of bare skin. The cool wind tingled sharply against her damp skin, eliciting a gasp.

“Mmmmm. I love how sensitive you are.” A scrape of teeth followed that pronouncement and Olivia had to stabilize herself on his shoulders, swaying on her feet. 

Taking advantage of her unsteadiness, Belphegor pushed and she toppled backward into the snow. Sputtering and blinking away the flakes clinging to her eyelashes, she tried to sit up, but was stopped by a warm body. Belphegor’s eyes glinted above her, his arms on either side of her. 

She lay back, snow cool and gritty against her skin. He kissed her nose. 

“You ok? I forget how clumsy humans can be.”

Before she could voice her annoyance he was kissing her again. She was momentarily distracted by the warmth of him above her and the leg he had shifted between hers, but this time she didn’t lose herself completely. 

She deepened the kiss, tugging on his disheveled hair and forcing her tongue into his mouth. As she did this she imagined the ground warming and tilting slightly. She released his hair suddenly and anchored herself to the ground, holding tightly to the base of a sapling that had suddenly sprouted to her side. 

Caught off guard, Belphegor slid down the bank and landed in a puddle of snowmelt and mud. He laughed darkly. “Oh you’re gonna pay.” 

She smirked and caught him in the face with a snowball before taking off running. Conjuring shoes and a warm hoodie as she led him on a chase through the semi-frozen wilds. 

\-------------------------

Belphegor stretched. That dream hadn’t gone quite how he’d hoped, but it  _ had  _ been fun. Her ability to shape dreams had become impressive. Sure, she couldn’t best him, but she could give any of his brothers a run for their money. 

“Did you sleep all morning again?” Lucifer’s dry tone pulled Belphegor’s awareness firmly back to the attic. 

“What else do I have to do?”

Lucifer made a dismissive noise and pushed a mess of papers and empty chip bags off the desk to make space for the tray. Belphegor saw his eyes flash as they caught on the empty cans of Snap. 

_ Fuck! He needed to distract Lucifer fast... _

“So did you decide to let me out? It’s getting awfully dull in here.”

“Have you decided to coexist peacefully with humanity?”

“We’re fucking demons. Peacefully isn’t in our vocabulary.”

“Maybe we should work on expanding your repertoire.” 

“Maybe I could do that if I could leave the attic. It’s hard to expand anything in this same, fuckin’ room.” 

“Perhaps. Of course, maybe it wouldn’t feel quite so cramped if you cleaned up after yourself.” Lucifer looked pointedly at the empty snack food containers. 

With a noncommittal grunt and a sinking stomach, Belphegor slumped back onto his bed and listened as Lucifer’s steps faded into the distance. 

\-------------------------

Olivia bounced out of bed. Now all she had to do was get Belphegor to acknowledge some of what they’d talked about last night in her dreams. Her guts twisted. She wasn’t sure what she would do if he was really in her dreams, but for her own peace of mind she needed to know what was actually happening. 

She was early to breakfast. Beel was already digging into a plate piled high with pancakes. The only other person at the table was a very tired looking Lucifer. 

“Good morning, Lucifer, Beel.” She snagged a plate, added a few pancakes, and settled into her usual place at the table next to Beel. 

“You feeling ok, Lucifer? You look tired. Diavolo should really give you a vacation.” 

She poured the syrup and took a bite. Perfect. Pancakes were one of the few foods in the Devildom that tasted almost the same as in the human realm. 

She looked up to see Lucifer staring at her. 

“Ummm… can I help you?” 

He raised an eyebrow. “And how would you help me?” 

“I… don’t know. You just seem a bit stressed?” 

“Do I?” He took a long sip of his tea. 

Olivia glanced over at Beel who was still intent on his breakfast, shoveling pancakes into his mouth. 

Lucifer sighed. “I trust everyone in this house to respect the rules and privacy of the other residents. And, if that privacy has been breached in any capacity, to keep what they learn to themselves.” 

Her stomach dropped.  _ Nobody had seen her leaving the attic, right?  _ She stared at her plate. Pancakes were no longer appealing, just drowning lumps of soggy dough. She sat her fork down and took a drink of juice. 

She forced herself to meet Lucifer’s eyes. He was staring intently. “Of course. So what did Mammon do this time?” Her smile felt shaky. 

“What do ya mean? I haven’t done anything!” Mammon strode into the dining room, shirt artfully rumpled and bag slung over one shoulder.

“As per usual.” Lucifer rubbed his temples and stood from the table. “I trust you all can handle breakfast? I am going to work on some reports.” He looked back at Olivia. “And I trust you to think on what we just discussed.” 

“O-of course.” 

Mammon looked at Lucifer. “Ya don’t have to be so mean. She’s just a dumb human.” 

“Thanks, Mammon.” 

“You’re welcome!” He said brightly before quickly adding. “I didn’t do it for ya!”

“Of course.” Her mind was racing, trying to puzzle out where she’d gone wrong, but nobody had seen her. She was sure of that.  _ Had Belphegor told Lucifer? But what good would that do him?  _

Olivia jerked her head up at the sound of chair legs scraping on the floor. “If we don’t head out soon, we’ll be late for school.” Beel mumbled around a last bite of breakfast. 

“Right.” She grabbed her book bag and cleared her plate before following Mammon out the front door and to class.

\-------------------------

That afternoon she asked Mammon to meet her in the living room. 

“I found something for you.”

“For me? What would ya have that I’d want?” His pink cheeks undermined his attempts at remaining aloof. 

She snorted and ran up the stairs to retrieve Goldie from her drawer. It wasn’t fair to make Mammon wait on her to decide about pacts. 

Once back, she grinned at Mammon. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.” 

“Fine.” He grumbled, but he couldn’t keep a slight smile from the corners of his mouth. 

She watched his face carefully as she placed the card in his outstretched hands.

His eyes flew open. “GOLDIE?!”

He fell to his knees cradling the card. “We’re going to have so much fun, you and I!”

“I’ll leave you two alone.” Olivia chuckled to herself as she left the room, ignoring what sounded like kissing noises. At least someone was having a good day. 

She had planned to spend some time chatting with Belphegor in an effort to puzzle out was happening in her dreams, but that seemed like a terrible idea now. The last thing she wanted to do was run afoul of an already suspicious Lucifer. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> His eyes flew open. “GOLDIE?!”_
> 
> _He fell to his knees cradling the card. “We’re going to have so much fun, you and I!”_
> 
> _“I’ll leave you two alone.” Olivia chuckled to herself as she left the room, ignoring what sounded like kissing noises. At least someone was having a good day._
> 
> _She had planned to spend some time chatting with Belphegor in an effort to puzzle out more information about pacts and what was happening in her dreams, but that seemed like a terrible idea now. The last thing she wanted to do was run afoul of an already suspicious Lucifer.  
> _

She was working on arithmancy homework when she heard a knock at her door. Before she could reply a head of fluffy, white hair poked its way in.

“Hey, where was she?”

“Hmm?”

“Goldie-- where did ya find her?”

“Oh. Weirdly enough, in the back of the freezer.”

“Fuckin’ Lucifer.” Mammon came the rest of the way in and plopped down on her bed. 

“Shoes off, please.” 

“Right.” Mammon kicked off his shoes and sprawled out, thumbs typing a message on his DDD. 

“So… what can I do for you?” 

“Well I owe ya one. And I’m not great at paying debts and shit, but I did want to say, uh, thanks.” He didn’t take his eyes off his DDD as he said this. 

She turned in her seat to face him. As she did, her eyes caught an empty can of Snap in her trash. “What do you know about pacts?”

At this he did look up from his DDD. “Have you been talking to Solomon?”

“Not Solomon... I was just reading a bit about them and curious. Do you have any?” 

“Yeah, and they’re mostly a pain in the ass. Not worth the trouble.” 

“But don’t you get a piece of someone’s soul?”

“Yeah, but, depending on things, you’re then bound to them and, if they’re young, you can be stuck for ages.” 

“Oh.”

“I mean, they’re not all bad-- especially if they’re with the right person. Not that I have anyone in mind!” 

He flushed and looked away before adding “I did say I owed ya.” 

Olivia looked at him. She knew he liked her more than he admitted, but this was very out of character. Mammon was offering to pay off his debt?

“I’m not sure. It sounds like it’s a pain for you. And I’m not really sure what I’d get out of it-- no offense!” 

He puffed out his chest, indignant. “You’d be bound to The Great Mammon: model, celebrity, entrepreneur! What’s not great about that? Also, if you got in trouble, all ya’d have to do is call for me and I could help ya.” 

He mused on this a bit. Almost as an afterthought he added, “this could make the whole human-sitting thing easier…”

Olivia felt sweat prickle on her skin. She had expected this to be a harder sell. She wasn’t even sure she wanted this. “How do you make a pact?” 

“It depends on how tightly ya want to be bound. We can use anything from candles to blood to set the intention. For it to be worth anything, ya really need blood. All of the other things are too weak to be any good.”

“Oooh. That’s… interesting. I’ll have to read up on it.”

“Nah, it’s now or never. I might change my mind, so if ya want a pact with me --and who wouldn’t-- ya need to make up your mind.” 

“Well, at least tell me what’s entailed in making one.”

“Not too much-- we just cut our thumbs, hold the wounds together to mix our blood and say a few words in demonic... It’s not much and I have a message from Satan with it in English letters… somewhere.” He started scrolling through his DDD.

“Hmmmm…” She weighed her options. A pact could help Belphegor and give her a bit more protection in the Devildom. After the way Lucifer had looked at her earlier, she wasn’t adverse to having a bit more protection…

“Let’s do it.”

Mammon perked up, “Really?”

“Yeah…. Why are you surprised?” 

“Oh! I’m not just… let’s get this over with.” 

He shifted into demon form and ran his nail across the pad of his left thumb. 

“Come here.” 

Olivia swallowed hard and walked over to the bed. She gingerly held out her hand. Mammon grasped her left hand in his left, careful to keep the blood on his thumb away from her. He ran his claw across the skin of the thumb and pinched slightly. Red welled up and Mammon pressed their bleeding thumbs together. She felt warmth racing through her hand, rapidly expanding throughout the rest of her body. Her stomach lurched and her vision went strange, everything seemed to have a golden aura. 

He held out his phone. “Pretty sure it’s just the first line there.” 

She looked down at the phonetic gibberish. She stumbled over the first syllable, but must have managed well enough because when she finished Mammon said something that sounded similar to what she’d managed. 

As he finished, the warmth coursing through her seemed to explode out and she sat down hard on the edge of the bed, leaning back onto the cushions at the head of the bed. She closed her eyes focusing on the strange sensations as she felt a twinge in her stomach and tingles raced across her skin. 

Mammon leaned back beside her, taking her left hand. Her eyes fluttered open to see him staring intently at her as he lifted her left hand to his mouth and ran her red thumb across his lips before closing his mouth around her bloody digit and sucking. The warm tingles intensified and this time she could feel a tension pooling in her belly, throbbing in time with the motions of Mammon’s mouth. 

She looked up sharply, meeting his heavy-lidded eyes. 

“That seems too easy for something that powerful,” she said, trying to focus on something other than the attractive demon in her bed. 

“Mmmm, yeah,” he said as he moved beside her. She could feel a line of warmth where the sides of their bodies touched. “I think there used to be more of a ritual, but it got whittled down because humans get cold feet if you draw things out too long.” 

Olivia’s stomach sank at that ominous comment.  _ What have I gotten myself into?  _

He held his thumb out to her. 

“Is this part of…”

He nodded.

She opened her mouth and gingerly closed her lips around him. The thick, salty flavor of his blood filled her mouth. She swallowed and he removed his thumb, drawing it around her cheek, so he could cup the back of her head. Leaning forward he pulled her mouth to his. 

His kiss tasted of their mingled blood, but was somehow tentative and sweet. His lips moved soft and slow against hers, drowning her in tenderness. She pulled back, heart racing. If she wasn’t careful, she’d lose herself completely. 

“Hey,” she whispered breathlessly. “I need a moment.”

“You ok?” He looked her over, breaking into a toothy grin when he took in her flushed face and ragged breathing. 

He leaned in to kiss her again, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest.  _ His very muscled chest... _

“This is really nice, but with the pact… it’s all too much at once.” 

Mammon’s face fell, so she continued. “I  _ am  _ just a measly human, after all. We need a bit more time to adjust. And I’ve never had a pact before...”

His eyes brightened. “That’s right-- I’m your first!” 

“Well, yeah. I mean, how many pacts did you think I had?” 

“That's a good point.”

“Now get out of here-- I’m feeling worn out.” She made a gentle shooing motion with her hands. 

“Good night. If ya start feeling sick or something, let me know. Ya should be able to call me via the pact.” 

Mammon left the room after that, forgetting his shoes. Olivia poked her head out into the hall, but he was already gone. Sighing, she closed and locked her door before padding into the bathroom.

_ Theoretically, I’m lacking part of my soul now.  _ She stared into the mirror, examining her face for any change.  _ I don’t look evil or broken… at least not any more than I always have. _ She couldn’t deny she’d felt  _ something  _ when they’d mingled their blood and said those words.  _ It could have been psychosomatic. I should have tested it… _

This warranted more research. 

She looked back at the mirror. Had her irises always had those gold flecks? She pulled out her DDD and scrolled through her selfies, but none had the same lighting. Admitting defeat, she stripped and got in the shower, letting the warm water soothe her. 

When she finally climbed into bed, she was feeling much calmer. Tomorrow she’d stop by the library.

\-------------------------

That night she dreamed of gold, not the warm rays of the summer sun, but the cold, glittering metal from the deep recesses of the earth. She could see Mammon ahead of her, lounging high above everything else on a gleaming throne directing multitudes of beings as they hunched over pickaxes, mining. His face was the same charming one she’d kissed earlier, but there was something harder in the lines of his jaw that made him seem older and less approachable. She still walked up to the dais. 

“Hey again… so is this because of the pact?” 

He looked through her and began berating someone who apparently wasn’t mining fast enough. She climbed the steps to stand on the same level as the throne. She looked out at the mine stretching our endlessly. It was a terrible sight, like a classic rendition of hell. Was any of this real? 

As she watched a golden automaton began climbing the stairs after her. With each step it grew more and more realistic, hair and skin softening and flexing naturally. Mammon grinned as it approached. She watched in sudden confusion as the thing approaching reached their level and she was face to face with a golden version herself. 

Relieved that nobody could see her, Olivia took a step back behind the throne. The gold version of herself approached the throne and leaned down to kiss Mammon. Mammon reached up and fondled its breasts before pulling it down onto his lap. Blushing, Olivia turned away and looked behind the throne. To her relief there was a path there. She began to walk, doing her best to ignore the breathy moans echoing after her. 

The path wound around piles of earth and carts loaded with gold ore. Slowing it began to rise and she emerged into a glade of familiar trees. She slipped her shoes off and padded across the moss towards the light. 

It was comforting to be somewhere so familiar, even if her conscious brain found the lack of resolution frustrating. She settled into a comfortable rhythm, walking steadily and listening to a burbling stream in the distance. As she listened, the sound of the water changed. It grew softer and higher pitched, until it resembled nothing more than a woman’s voice murmuring her name. It echoed around her. She turned her head, trying to ascertain where it was coming from, but it was everywhere. She continued walking, but at a reduced pace, looking around carefully. 

“Hello?” 

“Olivia. Olivia. Olivia...” 

Her name swirled through the trees, soft susurrations simultaneously soothing and unsettling. 

“Yes, that’s my name. Who are you?” Olivia looked around her, searching for the source of the voice. 

She looked up and realized the light was just beyond the ridge. She began to run towards the light.  _ Almost there _ … In an instant a glowing light surrounded her. It raced across her skin, warm and comforting. She felt the light growing brighter, simultaneously encompassing her and emanating back out from her. She could see her arms glowing incandescent. She squinted into the light, trying to make out any other figures nearby. Her eyes started to weep against the light until she finally blinked. When her eyes opened she was back in her bed. 

“Fuck!” She flopped against the pillows in frustration. She had been  _ so close _ to answers. She could  _ FEEL  _ it. 

Groaning petulantly, she pulled out her DDD and began to scroll through Devilgram. She couldn’t think anymore tonight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belphie's back in the next chapter-- I promise!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She looked up and realized the light was just beyond the ridge. She began to run towards the light. Almost there… In an instant a glowing light surrounded her. It raced across her skin, warm and comforting. She felt the light growing brighter, simultaneously encompassing her and emanating back out from her. She could see her arms glowing incandescent. She squinted into the light, trying to make out any other figures nearby. Her eyes started to weep against the light until she finally blinked. When her eyes opened she was back in her bed. 
> 
> “Fuck!” She flopped against the pillows in frustration. She had been so close to answers. She could FEEL it. 
> 
> Groaning petulantly, she pulled out her DDD and began to scroll through Devilgram. She couldn’t think anymore tonight.

That afternoon she stopped by the Royal Library. The marble columns at the entrance were flanked by enormous statues of writhing, tormented figures that cast agonized shadows across the entryway. She walked under them quickly and made her way to the front desk. 

The demon behind it was dwarfed by the desk, an immense mass of dark wood carved with unsettling abstract designs that seemed to shift when she wasn’t looking directly at them. 

“One moment.” The slim figure called over her shoulder in a clear, pleasant voice. As Olivia watched, a fine bit of parchment was bound back together with a delicate application of an unguent and a whispered incantation that left a hint of acrid smoke on the air.

“Thank you for your patience. I would not normally be doing this out here, but Lord Diavolo requested…Ah, you’re one of our human exchange students.” 

Olivia squared her shoulders meeting the gaze of the demon-- she’d learned early on that shrinking back only garnered more of their interest. 

The demon peered over her glasses, eyes shifting from gold to green, “Hmmm.. Seeing as you are clearly not Solomon, you must be Olivia? A pleasure. I am Namaah.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I--”

“Pity we’re only just meeting. I am an avid researcher of human cultures and I’m sure I could have eased your transition to life in the Devildom, but Lord Diavolo is so very fond of passing choice assignments onto Lucifer. How is life in that chaotic frathouse?”

Olivia choked back a laugh.

“That is just about what I had expected. Well, if you ever need a break from the endless --how do humans put it?--oh! Dick-measuring-- taking place in that woefully bleak ‘House of Lamentation,’ let me know. Now what can I do for you?” 

“I am working on a project and am not sure where to start.” 

“What is your topic?”

“Pacts.”

“Well, that’s really broad. Are you looking for historical information? Practical information on how they work? Human perspectives on pacts? Uses for pacts…”

“The more practical side of things, please. How they work and so forth.” 

“And how advanced is this _class_?” 

“It’s pretty basic.”

“Hmmmm… Have a seat and I’ll pull a few things for you. The last human I let loose in the stacks didn’t return for 50 years.” 

“Oh. Thanks. Also, do you have anything on dreamwalking?” 

“Interesting _classes_ you’re taking. I’ll pull some information on that, too.” 

Oivia settled into a nearby table, nervously fiddling with her DDD. Namaah returned shortly with a stack of books. 

“These are the best ones we have in human languages. Let me know if you need anything else. And if things get to be too much with Lucifer and his crew, let me know.” Namaah placed a scrap of paper on top of the stack of books. “My number.” 

“Certainly-- thank you for your help!”

“Of course. Oh-- and a word of advice? I’d think very carefully before making any pacts with residents from _that_ house. They are not what I would consider good beginning partners… Let me know if you want to talk about this later. I must get back to repairing that text-- Lord Diavolo wants it by tomorrow morning and in its current state… ugh.”

Olivia nodded her thanks and settled in. After sorting through the various books, she found a couple in modern English and began to skim through them, starting with pacts. 

_P_ _acts are agreements between two entities, typically sealed with an exchange of power. Traditionally thought to be a transaction between a human and a demon wherein the human offers a part of their soul for some of a demon’s power. Modern lexicologists and anthropologists posit that “soul” is a shorthand for energy, although there is no doubt that forming a pact causes a deep, metaphysical bond between the pact members._

_There is no known way to reverse a pact, although there have been many attempts. The most successful was performed in 1598 between Nicholas Remy and Earl Vine. It initially seemed to have worked, but Remy died a few agonizing days later, whereas Earl Vine went into into seclusion for a century._

It had grown late while she read, so she signed up for a card and checked out the books, returning the less useful titles to Namaah.

\-------------------------

After dinner she settled in the common room and began to read some more about pacts. Asmodeus walked past and paused, looking at her stack of books. “So Mammon _wasn’t_ lying.”

“Hmmm?”

“Well he said he’d convinced you to form a pact with him.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess.”

“You guess?” Asmo’s eyes lit up. “Tell me EVERYTHING. How did you seal it?”

“Ummm, Mammon didn’t tell you?”

“No, he’s far too busy crowing about being your first.”

Olivia winced. 

“Oh, no worries, honey. I know you’re not that inexperienced. I can tell that you’ve indulged in my sin a time or two.” 

She flushed and looked down at the book on her lap. “Oh, well we cut our hands and held them together-- is that what you mean?” 

“I wouldn’t have expected something so traditional from him. Especially as there are more fun ways of forming a pact.” He waggled his eyebrows. “In fact, now I’m a bit curious.”

Asmodeus leaned over Olivia, hands on the back of the couch, one on either side of her. He looked down, his eyes boring into hers, searching. Without warning he straddled her lap and leaned in, laying a gentle kiss on her temple. He rested his cheek against hers, breathing deep. 

“You don’t smell like Mammon.” He whispered into her hair. “I mean, yes he’s there, but you smell like … mortality, but also ... something that’s right on the tip of my tongue.”

He licked her ear and leaned back, settling on her thighs before she had time to protest. 

“Want a pact with me? As a bonus, you won’t have to do anything so barbaric as spilling blood to seal it.” He bit his lower lip and grinned at her, eyes gleaming. As she watched he took her hand and held it against his chest. 

“Feel my heart pounding? That is all your fault.” He brought her hand up to cup the soft skin of his cheek as he leaned forward.

Her breath caught in her throat. _I’m going to burn up at this rate_. 

“I- I wouldn’t want to rush anything as special as a pact with you. I mean, I, did just get one. Shouldn’t it be an event?” 

“I suppose you’re right, darling. Things are typically better when you have time to build some... anticipation. So why don’t we do something about that?” 

“Wha--” before Olivia had time to respond he had claimed her mouth in a feverish kiss. Desire burned through her as he moved from her mouth and trailed kisses down her neck, pushing aside her school blazer and exposing the delicate skin of her collarbone. He kissed and then sucked hard, the pain mixing with the desire and settling low in her belly. 

“Hey!” Olivia gasped as she pushed on his chest. “Don’t just give me a hickey!”

Asmodeus stood and grinned. “I’m the Avatar of Lust, like anything I do could be described as prosaically as a hickey. Enjoy your lovebite” 

She stared at him as he sashayed out of the room with a wink. 

_I’m so done with this._ She let Asmodeus get a head start as she gathered her books and took refuge in her room. 

She spent the rest of the evening attempting homework and staring at the same encyclopedia entry on pacts. The third time she caught herself tracing her fingers along her collarbone, she pulled on a thick cardigan and buttoned it up to her neck. Settling in she reopened her textbook, determined to get something accomplished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always-- I hope you enjoy and thanks for your patience!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> Asmodeus stood and grinned. “I’m the Avatar of Lust, like anything I do could be described as prosaically as a hickey. Enjoy your lovebite”_
> 
> _She stared at him as he sashayed out of the room with a wink._
> 
> _'I’m so done with this.' She let Asmodeus get a head start as she gathered her books and took refuge in her room._
> 
> _She spent the rest of the evening attempting homework and staring at the same encyclopedia entry on pacts. The third time she caught herself tracing her fingers along her collarbone, she pulled on a thick cardigan and buttoned it up to her neck. Settling in she reopened her textbook, determined to get something accomplished._
> 
> __

Belphegor paced, he had hidden the remaining trash, but the damage was done. Lucifer had been coming by more frequently and at irregular intervals— a far cry from his previous, twice-a-day visits. And Olivia hadn't been by in… nearly two weeks... Had Lucifer done something to her?  _ Not that I care about her personal safety-- I just want out! _

He had been hesitant to dreamwalk after her questions and Lucifer’s suspicion, but he needed to know what was happening. 

He ghosted down and found her walking along a familiar beach. The water was red and thick. He fell into step beside her. 

“Hey.”

She started and turned to face him. “Is it really you? Or is this all in my mind?”

“What’s the difference?”

“I just need to know what's real and what isn’t! I’m so frustrated. Nobody tells me anything, except how dangerous everything is. And how I smell weird.” She wrinkled her nose. “I just want some honest answers!”

“I don’t know what good it’ll do you. You’re a human. You’re only here for a year, but if you must know… ask away.” He looked out at the red waves. 

“Is any of this real?” She gestured expansively at the surroundings. 

“This is… kind of real?” 

She rolled her eyes, “Fine. I’ll be more specific! Are you the same Belphegor that I meet with in the attic?” 

“Yes.” 

“Why were you so weird at first?” She flushed remembering the way he’d flirted.

“It’s best to kind of blend in with dream logic. And you certainly weren’t complaining.” 

Her cheeks grew hot, but she continued. “So why haven’t you talked to anyone else in their dreams?”

“Not everyone can do this. Have you seen any of my brothers in their dreams?” It’s nearly impossible to get through.” 

She remembered her uncomfortable visit to Mammon’s dream. “Oh.” 

Catching her expression, he smirked. “So who’d you visit?” 

“Mammon.”

“Why on earth would you pick Mammon!?” He laughed. “All he dreams about is gold and being famous and fucking.”

She blushed and looked away. “It happened right after we... “

His stomach lurched. “Right after you…?”

“I have a pact now. I’m not sure what good it is, but there’s one down.” She forced a cheery smile and turned to face him. 

“Oh, wow.”

“I thought you’d be happy. Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“I mean, I want you to make many other pacts, this is just a start. A slow start.” 

“Right.” She exhaled and continued walking. Her shoes vanished and she moved closer to the water, splashing through the shallow, pink foam. 

“Who do you think you’ll try for next?”

“Asmo offered.”

“Already!?” He stared at her. “Wait, you didn’t accept?”

Something inside of her snapped at that. She stopped walking and turned to look at him.

“Surprisingly, I’m not willing to rush in and instantly sacrifice my body and soul on the altar of solving your fucked up family issues.” She turned away, still muttering. “Shit, why don’t you all just go to fucking therapy?”

“My fucked up family is keeping you safe--”

She whirled back to face him. “Keeping me safe from your friends. Keeping me safe in a world I never asked to visit. You got locked up because you didn’t want to be an exchange student. I didn’t even have that choice! Oh, poor, Belphegor. He’s stuck in the attic because he had a fucking fight with his big brother. At least you’re not constantly told how worthless you are. Or reminded of how everyone here would just love to eat you. Walking on eggshells, aware you only get treated well because of Diavolo’s whims.” 

Belphegor stared at her, fury growing. “You pitiful excuse for a--”

“Oh, no! Here comes another fucking demon to tell me all about how I’m a waste of goddamm space. Well, I didn’t pick you. You all picked me!” 

Tears were welling up in her eyes. Her face was blotchy and red. “Fuck off. Get out of my dream and don’t come back!” 

“I’ll go when I’m good and ready.” 

"Fine, but I'm done.” She took a deep breath and vanished, leaving him in the tattered mist of a rapidly dissipating dream. 

\-------------------------

Something woke Mammon up. He’d been having a great dream where he was pulling a heist with a crew of beautiful people. They’d been about to make it out with their haul of gems, but a strange sensation disturbed him. 

He felt drawn to the garden. He looked out of his window and saw a shadowy figure pacing. He slipped down to the yard only to see Olivia muttering angrily and gesticulating as she walked. 

“Olivia?”

She froze. “Oh, hi.” 

“Are ya ok?” 

“Yup. Just fucking peachy.”

“That’s believable.” He eyed the tear tracks on her cheeks. “I always yell at shrubs in the middle of the night when I’m ‘peachy.’”   


She let out a deep breath. “I mean, I just got in a fight with someone in a dream and now I’m talking to a demon. What is believable?”

“Fair. What were ya dreaming about?” He waggled his eyebrows. 

“I genuinely don’t know if I can tell you without getting us all in trouble with Lucifer.” She winced. “Even that might be enough to get us in trouble with him.” 

“I get in trouble with Lucifer all the time. It’s not fun, but he’s not evil.”

She snorted. “The Avatar of Pride, a powerful demon, is not evil?” 

“Well, you know what I mean.”

“No. actually I don’t.” She looked away. “I don’t belong here. Every day seems to make that more and more clear.” 

“This dream must have been bad.”

“Ugh, dreams. Did you know, I think I’m a dreamwalker?”

“Wait, how did that happen?” 

“I’m not sure. Well, someone visited me and I started trying things and… it makes sleep a lot less restful sometimes.”

“So when did you meet Belphie?”

“What?!”

“There’s only one of us who’s a dreamwalker. I didn’t know he was powerful enough to reach from the human realm, but he’s the only one who makes sense.” 

“I… actually I don’t remember when. He just started popping up in my dreams.” 

“That’s… unlike him.”

“Really? Perving on people’s dreams seems right up his alley.”

Mammon’s eyebrows shot up. “Has he been perving on your dreams!? I’ll take care of that--”

“No, it’s fine. I just. I’m just so tired of feeling pulled in a dozen different directions. I just want to go home.”

“Hey, ya got thrown into this. And you’re doing better in school than many of your classmates and you haven’t even been eaten!?”

Her face darkened at that.

“What?”

“I wish people would stop comparing me to food.” She sat down on a bench and slumped against the backrest, kicking at the gravel path. 

“I guess that would get old.”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, so I can’t help with a lot of that, but you’re not alone. We’ve got a pact. If ya need, I’ll be there. In fact, I think that’s why I woke up tonight.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don't ya worry about it… so dreamwalking, eh? Done your share of perving on people’s dreams yet?” 

“Nah, not really.”

“Wait, ya haven’t been in any of mine, have ya?”

“N-no.”

“You’re a shit liar. What did ya see?” 

“Not much. A lot of gold mining and stuff. You couldn’t, uh, hear me, so I left.”

“T-that’s all?.” 

“Yup. Hey, listen. Thanks for being so sweet, but I think I’m going to go back in and try to sleep.” 

“I-I just have to look after my human, ya know?” 

“Of course. Goodnight.” She turned and headed back to the house.  Mammon watched her go, puzzling over what he’d just learned.  _ Something doesn’t quite add up.  _ Sighing deeply, he figured he’d see what Satan could make of it in the morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me! I know updates have been slow coming, but I'm still here- promise!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> “Don't ya worry about it… so dreamwalking, eh? Done your share of perving on people’s dreams yet?”_
> 
> _“Nah, not really.”_
> 
> _“Wait, ya haven’t been in any of mine, have ya?”_
> 
> _“N-no.”_
> 
> _“You’re a shit liar. What did ya see?”_
> 
> _“Not much. A lot of gold mining and stuff. You couldn’t, uh, hear me, so I left.”_
> 
> _“T-that’s all?.”_
> 
> _“Yup. Hey, listen. Thanks for being so sweet, but I think I’m going to go back in and try to sleep.”_
> 
> _“I-I just have to look after my human, ya know?”_
> 
> _“Of course. Goodnight.” She turned and headed back to the house. Mammon watched her go, puzzling over what he’d just learned. Something doesn’t quite add up. Sighing deeply, he figured he’d see what Satan could make of it in the morning.  
> _

Belphegor was pacing his room.  _ How dare she? _ Yeah, his family was fucked up, but it was  _ his  _ family. She had  _ no  _ right!

Taking a deep breath he started to piece together alternative escape plans. He could start trying to visit people in their dreams again. It hadn’t worked so far, but ...ugh. Everything else was stupid and doomed to failure.

He slumped down on his bed and closed his eyes. 

After almost being eaten by Beel (third time!) and learning way more about the depth of Levi’s feelings for Ruri-chan than he had ever wanted, he found himself wandering a field of gold toward a solid gold convertible. He blinked and was in the front, wedged between Mammon in the driver's seat and a person who looked suspiciously like Olivia in the passenger seat. 

“Hi Mammon.”

“Perving on dreams, huh?”

“What!?” Belphegor was so shocked he almost jolted awake. He had to take a couple of deep breaths before he could focus on what Mammon was saying.

“...didn’t know ya had that kind of range. All the way from the human realm? But whatever you’ve been saying to Olivia, give it a rest. She was all upset last night. Said she couldn’t tell me what was up, but ya know don’t ya?” 

The sarcastic reply stuck in Belphegor’s throat. 

“Fine. Keep your fucking secrets, but ya owe her an apology for… well, whatever it was that upset her.”

“Mammon, you can hear me?”

“Obviously, are ya dumb?”

“Well, this is the first time you’ve noticed me in your dreams.”

“So she was right-- you ARE pervin’ on dreams. Some advice from your older brother: stop that. It’s weird and invasive and nobody is gonna like ya if ya keep it up.”

Belphegor rolled his eyes. “Going back to what you said earlier-- you want me to be nice to Olivia?”

“Well, she’s my responsibility-- Lucifer told me to watch her AND I have a pact with her. Her very first one.” 

Belphegor stared at his brother. “You don’t usually care for anything aside from scamming people out of their money… why are you so interested in her?”

“I already told ya why.”

“But you never listen to Lucifer. And you ignore most of your pact-holders as much as possible. Could it be that you’re sweet on her?”

“O-of course not! And-- even if I was, which I’m clearly not-- that’d be none of your business.” 

“Hmmmm,” Belphegor pointedly examined the Olivia-alike wedged in the seat beside him. “So it wouldn’t bother you if I …” Belphegor looped an arm behind her shoulder and leaned in, kissing the figure deeply. He sat back and smirked.

“No, the real Olivia is a much more enthusiastic--”

Mammon made an angry noise and pulled on the wheel. The car swerved sharply and Belphegor bounced across fake-Olivia and went flying over the passenger side door. He rolled to a stop along the side of the road as the car continued on, kicking up a plume of gold dust in its wake. 

_Fuck. Why did it have to be Mammon?_ _He was practically useless and surely couldn’t have helped me, but still… dammit._

Belphegor lay awake staring at the ceiling for a long while before he managed to fall back asleep. 

\-------------------------

Olivia’s life had become a bit more interesting, much to her chagrin. Now that she had a pact with Mammon, she had risen in the social ranks. Instead of gliding through the day, nearly invisible, her classmates were stopping to chat with her. She was invited to more events the day after her pact than in the preceding months combined. 

And it wasn’t just her classmates. The other residents of the house had all taken a keener interest in her. Levi had invited her to watch anime with him. Satan was trying to help her devise exercises to test the limits of her dreamwalking. 

And, now this, she thought as she sipped her orange juice half-listening to Asmo's absurd flirtations. He had insisted on giving her a shoulder massage, which she didn't mind, but-- _what did he just say!?_

"I'm sorry?"

“I said that I wouldn’t let just anyone step on my testicles.” he repeated conversationally. 

"Ah. Um, I forgot I have to trade notes before history. Thanks." She stood, smiled brightly, and ducked out the front door headed for class. 

At the end of the school day she returned to the House of Lamentation and rushed up to her room. She locked the door and slumped against it.  _ I just want everyone to leave me alone again. _

She took a few deep breaths and calmed down a bit. Her bed beckoned. A nap before dinner sounded nice, but she didn’t want to risk seeing him. 

She switched into workout clothes and walked down to the weight room. If she couldn’t rest, she’d at least get some of her frustrations out. 

\-------------------------

Mammon watched Oliva pace down the hall in sneakers and gym shorts.  _ I don’t think I’ve ever seen her use the gym. _

He waited until she passed and walked back the way she’d come, slipping into her room. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but there had to be some clues… 

The room was relatively neat, although her books had spilled from her bookbag. Mammon was unsurprised to see some volumes on dreamwalking and pacts. He rubbed the pad of his thumb at the memory.

But everything in her room seemed normal-- from the clothes piled in the laundry hamper to the beauty products cluttering her vanity. He remembered to kick off his shoes before he sprawled onto her bed, looking up at the leaves twining their way through the canopy.  _ What is going on?  _ He pillowed his hands behind his head and tried to think what Olivia could have gotten into. Dreamwalking was notoriously dangerous, but it was also a rare skill. And if another demon had been preying on her in her dreams, it was unlikely she’d be aware enough to study up on the topic. 

He sat up and absentmindedly brushed sand off his feet.  _ Gross!--wait. Where did that come from?  _ He carefully pushed back the covers and saw a fine dusting of sand along the bottom of the bed. 

He pulled his shoes back on, still puzzling at the sand. He carefully closed the door behind him only to see Satan coming down the hall. 

“Is Olivia in there?”

“Uhhh.”

“As I thought, you’re curious, too.” 

“About what? I mean, of course.”

Satan quirked an eyebrow at Mammon. “The way her sleepwalking has just stopped. The dreamwalking and the weird things she’s let slip about her dreams. Something is up with our dear exchange student and I am on the case.” 

“She’s not one of your mystery novels.”

“No, but she could be a dame in distress.” Satan grinned before growing solemn once again. “I’m worried about her. Did you find anything interesting?”

“Nah, just some library books and gritty sheets.” 

“Her sheets? What were you doing rolling around in her bed.”

“I wasn’t rolling around in her bed! I was just thinking.”

“Very well. If that is all you know, I’m going to do some more research on dreamwalking. I may see if I can coax some information about what she was researching from Namaah. Do you want to try contacting Belphie? Although, he’s been shit at keeping in touch.” Satan rubbed a thumb across his lower lip, thinking. “That's a start at least. Let me know if you find anything.” And then he strode off down the hall.

“You don’t get to tell your big brother what to do!” 

Satan didn’t turn to acknowledge this and Mammon continued grumbling as he returned to his room, the sand all but forgotten. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> Satan grinned before growing solemn once again. “I’m worried about her. Did you find anything interesting?”_
> 
> _“Nah, just some library books and gritty sheets.”_
> 
> _“Her sheets? What were you doing rolling around in her bed.”_
> 
> _“I wasn’t rolling around in her bed! I was just thinking.”_
> 
> _“Very well. If that is all you know, I’m going to do some more research on dreamwalking. I may see if I can coax some information about what she was researching from Namaah. Do you want to try contacting Belphie? Although, he’s been shit at keeping in touch.” Satan rubbed a thumb across his lower lip, thinking. “That's a start at least. Let me know if you find anything.” And then he strode off down the hall._
> 
> _“You don’t get to tell your big brother what to do!”_
> 
> _Satan didn’t turn to acknowledge this and Mammon continued grumbling as he returned to his room, the sand all but forgotten._  
> 

Belphegor had been anxiously waiting for her to fall asleep. As soon as she did, he drifted into her dream. She was sitting in a clearing, reminiscent of the Celestial Wood looking down over a stream.

“What do you want?”

Olivia didn’t turn around to face him. She sounded tired.

“Well?” She continued when he didn’t reply. “Say your piece and then let me have some restful sleep.”

Now that he was here, he _really_ didn’t want to have this conversation, but he still needed her.

“I’m sorry. I put too much pressure on you and--”

Her head whipped around. “What?”

“I was apologizing.”

“That’s... not what I expected. And, anyways, I’m the one who said your whole family was...” her voice got softer, “fucked up.” 

He walked over to stand near her, looking out over the stream. “You’re not entirely wrong.”

“Well, but everyone’s family is, to some extent. You all have just had longer to perfect it.” 

“Yeah. Listen, you don’t have to help me with the pacts. I put too much pressure on you.” 

She sat quietly for a moment. “But when will Lucifer let you out?”

He shrugged. “I’ll figure something else out.”

“But I can’t leave you trapped up there forever.” She smiled weakly at him. “You can’t even have Snap now!”

_This was almost too easy._ “Oh, sweet thing, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ve lived millennia, I’ll be fine.” 

“Sweet thing?” She cocked her head to one side. “Please don’t ever call me that again.” 

“Ha, done! I won’t ever call you that again, pumpkin pie.”

“Stop it! Or I really will leave you rot in there.” 

“Please, oh most gracious one, anything, but that!” He kissed her hand and bowed over it.

She sighed deeply. “Thanks for apologizing, but you should let me get some real sleep. I’ll need to be well-rested if we’re going to break you out of your tower, Rapunzel.

“Rapunzel? Am I your princess?”

“Hah. I don’t think princesses typically behave like you. Besides, I hardly look like a hero.”

He studied her. “Oh, I don’t know. I think you’d look quite dashing, well….” 

She jumped to her feet, laughing. “No fair! You can’t change things in MY dreams.” She was now dressed in a flowing white tunic tucked into tight breeches. A rapier with a golden hilt was belted to her waist. 

Belphegor was momentarily distracted by the curve of her breast revealed by deep V in the front of her tunic. Too late he caught the teasing glint in her eyes as Olivia took a step forward. His familiar hoodie vanished and he suddenly found his breathing restricted by the corseted top of his gown. 

“I hardly think magenta is a flattering shade on me,” he muttered. 

Olivia grinned and took a step closer. This time she took his hand and bowed low, kissing it. She looked up at him, taking in the full skirt with black lace overlay and the jeweled diadem that looked out of place over his messy hair. “Oh, but my fair lady. Verily thy beauty shineth in any hue.” 

Belphegor used his grip on Olivia’s hand to pull her upright. Then he blinked at her. “How did you do that?”

“What do you mean? You changed my clothes first.”

“Yeah, but I can’t change them back.”

“Well, it is my dream.” She winked at him and leaned in stealing a quick kiss and further distracting him from his annoyance. “If you don’t like the dress code, you can always leave.”

She turned and flounced down the bank giving him a good view of just how well her breeches fit. 

“Very well.”

She sprawled on the bank. “Goodnight, dream demon.”

“Oh, I didn’t say I was leaving.” 

Olivia turned to see him following her slowly, as he unlaced the top of the gown and tugged the laces open, exposing his chest and the lean lines of muscles that played along his shoulders and arms. 

He reached Olivia and spread his skirts before sitting gingerly beside her. “That’s better. How do you breathe in these things?”

“Hah. I’ve never worn a corset. Well,” she amended, “never for very long.” 

His smile grew wicked at that. “Is that so?” 

“You know, it just gets hard to breathe.” 

“Mmmmm, indeed.” 

She turned to look at him realizing in that moment that he was much closer than she expected. She could feel his breath on her lips, but he paused there, waiting tantalizingly close. The heat from his skin warmed the air between their faces. She leaned into him, pressing her lips against his. He savored the sensation of her lips moving slowly against his. 

Olivia brought her hands up to his face, cupping his jaw and holding him in place. Her tongue flicked at his lips and, when he parted them, darted inside his mouth. He groaned, running his hands up her sides and smoothing the soft fabric of the tunic. He grasped her waist and pulled her into his lap. 

She leaned back from the kiss and wrapped her arms behind his neck, fingers tangling and tugging at his hair. Her burning eyes met his and this time he bent his head and kissed her. Moving her hair away from her neck he trailed kisses from her mouth, down her neck, until he reached the hollow of her throat where he bit and sucked, eliciting a sharp gasp from her. 

She moved to straddle him, wanting to get closer, but her leg got tangled in his voluminous skirts and she lost her balance, flailing to one side and landing on the ground with a hard thud. 

She laughed. “Well, that was probably the most graceful thing I’ve ever done. Definitely a hero.” She unbelted the rapier from her waist and tossed it to one side.

“Well, it’s not my fault-- you’re the one who decided to bring princess gowns into the equation.” 

“I suppose. Although you started with the pet names and wardrobe changes.” 

He smiled at her, noting the healthy flush on her cheeks and the way her hair had fallen to one side. He gently brushed it out of her face. “You ok?”

“Yeah, although I think I should actually send you on your way. I meant it when I said I needed restful sleep if I’m going to figure out a way to make any more pacts, especially if I'm going to convince Lucifer..” 

He drew back at that. _Right, Lucifer_. He felt the warmth fade, replaced by a familiar, cold anger. He stood, careful not to step on his skirts. 

“Well, goodnight then, my hero.”

“Goodnight, my princess.” She smiled back at him before turning to look out over the waters.   
  


\-------------------------

Over the following weeks she managed to talk Levi and Beel into pacts pretty easily. Asmo was trickier when he realized sex was off the table, but he was still so intrigued by her that he eventually agreed. Olivia wasn’t sure what to make of that, but it was what she wanted, so she took it. After she mentioned dreamwalking worked differently with a pact, Satan readily agreed--under the condition that she cooperate and help him do some research. 

Things were going incredibly well. Although she still had no idea how she was going to get Lucifer to agree to a pact. She didn’t think he was avoiding her, but she certainly hadn’t seen much of him lately. 

And she was going to have to make a pact with Belphegor. Something about that made her stomach lurch in a not-altogether unpleasant fashion. _Can I even make a pact through the door? Do pacts made in dreams count?_

She was pondering these questions and toweling her hair dry after a long day when her DDD dinged. It was the generic text tone, so it wasn’t one of the brothers. Curious, Olivia unlocked the screen to see a message from ...Namaah, the librarian? 

**Namaah** : Hi Olivia. I wanted to check in and see how you were doing. Did you get all the information you needed for your project?

**Olivia** : Hi. Yeah. Thanks-- you were a big help. 

Olivia furrowed her brow. Namaah had seemed nice, but not the type to follow up at -- she glanced at the clock-- 11:19pm on a weeknight. She looked back at her phone and noticed three dots indicating Namaah was still typing. They disappeared before reappearing followed quickly by the next message.

**Namaah** : So, this might be a strange question, but are things ok?

**Namaah** : I don’t mean to pry, but I know you were kind of thrown into things and there are rumors about a human making pacts with the demons from the House of Lamentation. 

**Namaah** : And, shortly after hearing that, one of them stops by the library to ask about you.

**Namaah** : It’s enough to make one curious and a little concerned.

Olivia’s eyes grew wide. She knew she’d made waves when she made a pact with Mammon, although she’d hoped things had died down after that. _Apparently, not._

**Olivia** : I’m doing ok. Thanks

**Olivia** : Who was asking about me? What did they want?

She didn’t relish the idea of someone sneaking around. _Was Lucifer doing some digging? Shit. Shitshitshit SHIT!_

She took a deep breath. No, Lucifer didn’t seem the type to rely on subterfuge. She suspected he’d just appear at her door and demand answers. _Which is terrifying enough in its own right…_

**Namaah** : I didn’t say anything to them, don’t worry. 

**Namaah** : I would never violate the privacy of any of my patrons.

**Namaah** : That said, I also feel uncomfortable divulging the name of the person asking after you. 

**Namaah** : However, it is very curious that someone would come to me to ask questions when they’ve already managed a pact with the person they’re inquiring after. 

**Namaah** : I’m afraid I don’t know anything else, but I meant it when I said that you could come to me if you had concerns. I’ve known your roommates for some time and they’re lovely, but not always easy to talk to. 

**Olivia** : Thank you. I will keep your offer in mind.

**Namaah** : Have a restful evening.

**Olivia** : Goodnight.

_So it was either Levi or Satan. Mammon, Beel and Asmo never willingly set foot in the Library. And Levi was in his room all evening… So what did Satan want to know that he wouldn’t come straight to me about?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this went differently than I expected, but that happens. Especially with Belphie. Hope you enjoyed it!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> Namaah: I didn’t say anything to them, don’t worry.  
>  Namaah: I would never violate the privacy of any of my patrons.  
> Namaah: That said, I also feel uncomfortable divulging the name of the person asking after you.  
> Namaah: However, it is very curious that someone would come to me to ask questions when they’ve already managed a pact with the person they’re inquiring after.  
> Namaah: I’m afraid I don’t know anything else, but I meant it when I said that you could come to me if you had concerns. I’ve known your roommates for some time and they’re lovely, but not always easy to talk to. _
> 
> _Olivia: Thank you. I will keep your offer in mind._
> 
> _Namaah: Have a restful evening._
> 
> _Olivia: Goodnight._
> 
> _So it was either Levi or Satan. Mammon, Beel and Asmo never willingly set foot in the Library. And Levi was in his room all evening… So what did Satan want to know that he wouldn’t come straight to me about?_
> 
> __

Satan stood in Asmo’s room looking at Asmo, Levi, Mammon, and Beel.

“Glad we finally managed to get together.” 

Levi looked at the clock on his DDD. “I’ve only got about 30 minutes before I’m meeting some friends online.”

“You have friends?” Mammon asked. 

“I do. And, unlike some people, I don’t alienate them by trying to scam them out of every spare cent.” Levi retorted.

“Fellas, fighting like that is a sure way to get fine lines and wrinkles. Although… go ahead. It might get me a leg up on seducing our pact-holder. If all of you look aged, my beauty will--”

“Right.” Satan said. He looked over at Beel who was watching everything with an amused glint to his eyes while munching on a bag of chips. It was almost empty, which meant Beel also wouldn’t be willing to stay for much longer.

“So we all agree something is up with Olivia?” 

“She barely goes anywhere anymore.” Asmo pouted. “I tried to get her to go dancing and she said she needed to study, but then spent the whole evening reading about dreamwalking.” 

“Well, she claims to be a dreamwalker,” Satan added. “That makes sense to me.”

“Right,” Asmo said. “But why hasn’t she visited me in my dreams yet? I mean, look at me!”

“Who says she hasn’t?” Mammon asked.

“Trust me, I’d remember.”

“Would ya?” 

Levi yawned. “Does this have a point? I can listen to my brothers bicker anytime.” 

“Right. So unusual occurrences.” Satan pulled out a notepad and began listing the evidence he’d gathered. “Sleepwalking that suddenly stopped. The ability to, allegedly, dreamwalk, although none of us have been able to confirm it. A sudden interest in pacts, which she has done a remarkable job of gathering. As far as I know, she has everyone in the House of Lamentation except for Lucifer.”

“And Belphie.” Beel added.

Satan nodded. “Right. Though that would be a tricky pact to make considering that they’ve never met.” 

“Can you make pacts in dreams?” Mammon asked.

“What?” They all turned to look at him.

“I just… I assumed Olivia had met Belphie because of all the dreamwalking and she basically admitted it. Did none of ya ask when she started dreamwalking?”

“Of course I did.” Satan looked offended. “But what did she tell you?”

“She’d had some kind of nightmare and was stomping around outside. This was shortly after our pact. I woke up and went down to see what was up. I mean, a human alone at night could be easy pickings for any passing demon, so I had to check on her because otherwise Lucifer would have my hide and..”

Satan interjected. “We get it. You were only doing this out of selfish concern, not because you have any affection for our human. Please continue.” 

“I didn’t say that, but… anyways, she had some kind of fight with Belphie.” He furrowed his brow. “She didn’t say what it was about… and now that I’m thinking about it I have a vague recollection of Belphie in one of my dreams. I think he was being a jerk.”

Asmo stretched out on his bed, rubbing fragrant lotion onto his legs. “How can you tell dreamwalking Belphie from a dream about Belphie?” 

“On that note, how do we know Olivia actually met Belphie and didn’t make it all up in a dream? Or that she’s not being preyed upon by some other demon with sleep powers?” Satan added.

Beel perked up. “She could ask him a question only Belphie’d know the answer to and report back.”

“Yes,” Satan agreed. “But that is predicated under the assumption that we want to be that direct with her and that Belphie, if it is him, wouldn’t lie.” 

“Why would Belphie lie about this?” Beel asked.

“How is Belphie even reaching Olivia from the human world?” Asmo asked. “I don’t remember him having that kind of reach. And why would he reach out to a human of all people? Something big doesn’t add up here.” 

“Do we know of any powerful dreamwalkers who would be able to breach the protections on the House of Lamentation?” Levi asked. 

“It’s a relatively rare skill, isn’t it?” Asmo asked. “I remember more Celestials having that ability than demons…” He exchanged a look with Satan. “Has anyone asked the other exchange students?” 

“Excellent idea.” Satan made a note. “Also, I found a strain of tea that impedes dreams. It should prevent anyone from interfering with Olivia while she sleeps.”

“Won’t that also keep her from dreamwalking?” Mammon asked.

“An unfortunate side effect, but it may prove useful in keeping her safe.” 

Asmo pursed his lips. “That seems a bit overbearing. Are you sure Lucifer didn’t come up with that plan?” 

Satan clenched his jaw. “It’s a last resort. I don’t plan on giving it to her without her knowing. Not unless she seems to be in serious danger.”

“Has anyone brought this up with Lucifer?” Levi asked. “He is the most powerful-- if we’re worried about her safety, it wouldn’t hurt to have him on board.”

“I don’t know.” Beel said, pausing to munch thoughtfully. “A few weeks ago Lucifer seemed to be warning Olivia about something. He warned her to respect people’s privacy and … if I remember right, to keep anything she learned a secret.”

Mammon almost jumped out of his seat. “She said something like that! The night I found her in the garden she said she couldn’t tell me what was up because we’d get in trouble with Lucifer!” 

They all looked at each other. “Well,” Satan said. “At least we have some ideas of where to go. The librarian was entirely unhelpful, but we can ask Simeon and Luke about dreamwalking. And, if Michael or one of the other angels is involved, well, that could explain some of Lucifer’s caginess.” 

“Do we want to talk to Livvy about any of this?” Asmo shrugged. “It seems easiest to go straight to the source. I wouldn’t mind… interrogating her.” The lascivious smirk made it clear what Asmo had in mind.

“No. No interrogation.” Mammon said firmly. 

“I… agree with Mammon?” Satan said, shaking his head. “If Olivia is being manipulated in her dreams, asking directly might give whoever is preying upon her advanced warning. For now we keep this quiet. We’ll continue to keep an eye on her and I’ll talk to Simeon.” 

“How will we know if she’s in danger?” Beel asked. “If it’s all happening while she’s asleep, how can we keep her safe?” 

Asmo made a face. “Maybe the tea isn’t such a bad idea.”

“I could stay in her room with her.” Mammon said. “Just to keep her safe, of course.”

“How would we explain that to her? She’s very fond of her privacy.” Levi looked at his brothers. “Which, no offense, I can’t blame her for.” 

“What if we told her part of the truth? There is a safety concern having to do with dreamwalking, so she should try the tea and see if it helped. We could take turns staying with her until we figure things out.” Satan sighed. “Now we just have to figure out how to approach her with this.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the dialogue all makes sense-- writing a conversation between this many characters is a tricky thing to juggle...


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> “How will we know if she’s in danger?” Beel asked. “If it’s all happening while she’s asleep, how can we keep her safe?”_
> 
> Asmo made a face. “Maybe the tea isn’t such a bad idea.”
> 
> “I could stay in her room with her.” Mammon said. “Just to keep her safe, of course.”
> 
> “How would we explain that to her? She’s very fond of her privacy.” Levi looked at his brothers. “Which, no offense, I can’t blame her for.”
> 
> “What if we told her part of the truth? There is a safety concern having to do with dreamwalking, so she should try the tea and see if it helped. We could take turns staying with her until we figure things out.” Satan sighed. “Now we just have to figure out how to approach her with this.”  
> 

Shortly after their surprisingly productive meeting, Satan was thumbing through books on dreamwalking when there was a knock at his door. 

“Yes?” 

“Hey, Satan. Do you have a moment?” Olivia poked her head around the corner. “I have a weird question for you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “How intriguing. Come in.” He moved a stack of dusty tomes off of a chair and motioned for her to have a seat. He returned to where he had been before, learning against the edge of his desk. 

“What can I do for you?”

She took a deep breath. There was no easy way to ask this. “Were… Were you asking about me at the library?” 

Satan froze. “I was… wondering about some of the research you were doing. I didn’t realize you were so close with Namaah.”

“We aren’t? I mean, she seems really cool, but it’s more... I think she’s watching out for me. But, well, why didn’t you just ask me? I said I’d be happy to help do some research with you. Actually, I’m probably bound to help you as that was part of our pact.” 

Letting out a deep sigh, Satan moved to sit on the edge of his bed, so he was at the same height as her. “I’ll admit. I was hesitant to ask directly because I have some concerns about your dreamwalking. It’s a rare skill and, well, I worry that someone or something may be trying to take advantage of you.”

Olivia barked out a laugh. “Almost certainly.” At Satan’s horrified look she continued. “Well, not like that. I can’t explain entirely, but, well, don’t worry about it.”

“That does nothing to soothe my nerves. Is it because you believe my brother Belphegor to be entirely trustworthy?” 

Her gaze sharpened. “Who told you that?” 

“Nobody. Thank you for confirming my suspicions.” 

“Please don’t say anything to Lucifer. I can’t explain further, but… please. And I don’t trust Belphegor. Not entirely.” 

“How do you know it’s actually Belphegor?” 

“Who else would it be?” Olivia looked at him and sighed. “Again, I can’t explain it, but I’ve confirmed it a few different ways.” 

“But you’ve never met him?”

“How would I have met him?”

He examined her face. He was missing something. “Dreams are mercurial things. People and things don’t stay the same, you can appear like anyone or anything.” 

“Hmmm… I haven’t tried that yet.” She mused, lost in thought. “Thanks for that idea.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. 

“I’m serious.” He was losing control of the conversation. “The Devildom is dangerous and you may have developed some powers, but you’re still mortal. Any passing demon could make a snack out of you.”

She sighed loudly. “Not this again. Listen. I’m really touched by your concerns, but I’m a grown-ass woman. I don’t have millennia of years under my belt, but I won’t ever have that. And if I live my life cowering away from everything, my measly pile of years won’t be worth anything.”

Olivia stood and made her way to the door, turning once she’d reached the doorway. “Please stop snooping?” 

“Under three conditions,” Satan thought quickly. “First, the instant something seems off, you let me know.”

“Ok, and what else?”

“Secondly, you try drinking this tea before bed. It helps protect your dreams from harmful entities.” 

She caught the pouch he tossed her, fingers plucking nervously at the strings holding the bag closed. “What is in this?” 

“Nothing harmful, just some protective herbs. Promise me.”

“I will try it, but I reserve the right to stop drinking it.” 

“Fine. And, lastly, you must allow me or one of my brothers to sleep in your room every night.”

“Absolutely not. I have little enough privacy as is. I’m not sleeping with any of you.” She turned pink. “You know what I mean.”

Satan’s face remained serious. “I’m not Asmo. This isn’t some ploy to get between your legs. You can trust us-- you have pacts with us and can command us if you need. This way, we’re on hand in case something goes wrong.”

He took a step closer. “We’re all worried about you. And nothing you’ve told me has done anything to put my mind at ease. If anything I’m more concerned.” 

She sighed. “Can’t I just command you to stop snooping?” 

“You could. That said, I have more than a little experience when it comes to subverting commands.” He grinned. “It may stall me for a bit, but, trust me, there are very few people who could hope to bind me in any lasting fashion.”

“I’ll think on it.” 

“Pick who you want keeping watch or we’ll decide for you.” 

“Ugh, are you sure you didn’t trade bodies with Lucifer, or something?” She ducked out of the room before he could respond, retreating rapidly down the hall. 

\-------------------------

_Well that was a fucking brilliant idea._ She paced the hall back to her room. _How did I wind up with babysitters? I just wanted to know why Satan was snooping. That’s the last time I ask anyone here something directly._

She reached her room and slammed the door shut behind her. _How the hell am I going to free Belphegor with babysitters?_ She sniffed the packet Satan had given her. It smelled earthy. _Great. I get dirt tea and a babysitter._

She lay down on her bed. She didn’t feel remotely sleepy, but it was worth a try. Who knew when she’d be able to talk to Belphegor again. She stretched out and closed her eyes, taking deep, calming breaths.

After a long wait, she finally drifted off. _Now how do I find him?_ She had never directly sought Belphegor out. He always popped up in her dreams. Focusing, she imagined the attic room, but she couldn’t quite fill in the details from behind the door. _Belphegor… where are you?_

She imagined climbing the stairs to the attic and peering in the grate. She could see the bed, but there was no Belphegor. She didn’t want to intrude, so instead of going through the door, she waited. 

As she watched, Belphegor came into view. He was pacing and his handsome face was warped into an expression of cold rage. She took a step back from the door and his head turned towards her. 

His features smoothed into the calm visage she had grown accustomed to. “Looking for me?”

“Yeah. Are you ok? You seem… upset.”

“I’m still trapped in this tiny attic. It’s enough to make anyone angry.”

“Right. Can you see me?”

“A bit. You’re more like an Olivia-shaped distortion than a figure.” 

“So updates. Apparently your brothers are worried and I haven’t seen Lucifer in some time. I think he’s working on something for Diavolo--”

Belphegor made a rude noise.

“Right. But I don’t know how often I’ll be able to see you after this. Satan is insisting I try some tea because ...it's a long story, but your brothers are being weirdly overprotective.” 

“Really? I’ve never known one of them to take much of an interest in a single human, much less all of them.” 

“Well, maybe I’m just that amazing. Regardless, I’ve now got pacts with everyone except for Lucifer.”

Belphegor’s eyes widened. “That was fast.”

“What can I say?” She shrugged. “I’ve got skills.” 

“Anything else?”

“Nope. Have you figured anything else out?” 

“With the wealth of resources I have access to?” 

“Ok, well. I’m going to go now. I just … wanted you to know in case I couldn’t see you for a while.”

“Fine.”

She rolled her eyes and imagined herself up in the clouds. She might as well enjoy this dream. 

\-------------------------

Olivia had refused to discuss anyone staying in her room, so the brothers had, eventually, decided they would rotate through in pact order. 

“I guess that means I’m up first.” Mammon said with a smirk.

Levi had his arms crossed in front of his chest. “This is serious-- don’t get cocky and screw up.”

“Yeah, yeah. Ya think anything will touch her with The Great Mammon on the case?”

“Just make sure there’s something left for me to keep watch over tomorrow.” Levi turned and stomped out. 

“Remind her to drink the tea-- it should keep her safe.” Satan didn’t love that Mammon was going first, but things had been calm so far. Hopefully, they would remain so. 

“Right, right.” Mammon nodded and then walked to Olivia’s room.

\-------------------------

Olivia was staring at a mug of murky tea when there was a knock. _Surely not._

Before she could answer, Mammon burst in. 

“I’m here to keep ya safe!” 

Olivia sighed. “I can’t believe this. You are all so overprotective.” 

“Can’t have something snatching my human up. It would look horrible.”

“I feel so loved.” She swirled the muck in her cup. “If you’re here, I don’t need to worry about drinking this mud.” 

“Nope. Satan said you should try it.” 

She stared at him and then sighed. “Fine. I will try it tonight. But -if I barf- you get to clean it up.”

Mammon blanched. “Nope. Not part of the agreement. The tea was Satan’s idea, he gets to do that.”

She smirked at that visual and then took a swig of the lukewarm beverage. “Ugh. This is vile.” She quickly took a sip from the glass of water on her bedside table. Staring at the remaining liquid in her mug, she took a deep breath and downed the rest of it. 

“There. Done.” She drank some more water and snuggled into her bed. “Goodnight.”

Mammon walked to the edge of the bed. “Scoot over.” 

“Nope.”

“Where am I supposed to sleep?”

“Not my problem. Ask Satan for a cot? Or-here's an idea- you could always use the perfectly good bed in your room.” 

“That’s no fair. Your bed is more than big enough.”

“That’s beside the point. Now goodnight.” She turned off the light and closed her eyes. 

Mammon shuffled around the room grumbling quietly before finally settling into the window seat. Eventually he quieted and his breathing slowed. When Olivia heard him snoring, she finally relaxed enough to drift off. 

She did not wake when Mammon sat up grinning. Silently, he rose from the window seat and slipped into bed beside her.

\-------------------------

Olivia was back in the familiar green woods, walking. She hadn’t had this dream since the light surrounded her and she woke, but this time there was no light. She was just walking. _How boring_. 

She closed her eyes and visualized the trees shifting to clouds and the starry sky above her. But when she reopened her eyes she was still in the same copse of trees. She tried again and-- _Nothing._ She tried to change the white shift she was wearing into a hoodie and then into a ballgown, but nothing worked. 

She continued to walk, drawn forward down the forest trail. She was very aware of every, interminable second that passed. The trees changed slightly, but otherwise it was a perfectly serene and, well, boring walk. The path continued for as far as she could see. 

Giving up on controlling her dream, she tried to wake up, but even that was beyond her abilities. She was trapped. She uttered frustrated curses as she continued to walk. _I guess this is my new, fucking home. Fucking Satan can get bent. Him and his goddamn dirt tea._

\-------------------------

Belphegor was curious as to what his brothers had devised to keep Olivia safe from… well, he didn’t know what the specific concern was. He ghosted down and found her fast asleep as per normal. 

_What-- Who was in the bed with her!?_

He drew close enough to see Mammon snuggled up beside her, snoring. He clenched his teeth. _I’m not-- how could she waste time screwing around with my brothers? She’s just distracting herself from her job, which is to help ME._

He drifted into her dreams. She was in the Celestial Woods wearing an uncharacteristically delicate shift. 

“So, out of all of my brothers, you decided to fuck around with Mammon?”

She continued forward, not acknowledging him. 

“And now you’re ignoring me?!” 

He took a step closer, but something was off. He walked beside her, observing closely. Her eyes had a glazed look to them. He tried to grab her wrist, but when he tried to close his fingers around her they turned misty and slipped through her. 

“Can you even hear me?” He waved a hand in front of her face. “Shit. What did they do?” 

He slipped out of her dream and noted the mug on her bedside table. He sniffed at the murky dregs left in the cup. _Valerian root. Well, that explains everything._ Mammon shifted in the bed. _Almost everything._ He glared at Mammon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably going to slow down on updates. (I am headed back to my normal schedule after a week-long vacation!) 
> 
> Happy almost-December.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> He took a step closer, but something was off. He walked beside her, observing closely. Her eyes had a glazed look to them. He tried to grab her wrist, but when he tried to close his fingers around her they turned misty and slipped through her._
> 
> _“Can you even hear me?” He waved a hand in front of her face. “Shit. What did they do?”_
> 
> _He slipped out of her dream and noted the mug on her bedside table. He sniffed at the murky dregs left in the cup. Valerian root. 'Well, that explains everything.' Mammon shifted in the bed. 'Almost everything.' He glared at Mammon._
> 
> __

Her eyes were gritty and her bed was uncharacteristically warm… and firm? She opened her eyes to find she was snuggled up against Mammon’s chest. She blinked in confusion, her sluggish thoughts racing to piece together what had happened last night.

Her head felt fuzzy and there was an unpleasant flavor in her mouth. _ The tea? Ugh. I should never have tried the tea. Dammit, Satan.  _

She shifted, trying to move Mammon’s arm, but when she started to roll away, he turned with her and nestled his body along her back, spooning her. 

“Mammon-- What the hell? I told you to find another place to sleep.” 

His voice was hoarse from sleep, but it practically dripped with smug satisfaction. “I did... I just didn’t stay there.” He nuzzled his face into her neck. “Besides, you didn’t seem to mind.” 

“I was asleep. And…” She shuddered remembering the sensation of being trapped in her dream.

“Are you cold? Mmmm… let me help.” Mammon draped a leg over her, fully enveloping her and pressing his hips into hers.

“Mammon.” She squeaked and jerked away.  _ It is entirely too early for this shit.  _ “Mammon, I command you to let me up.”

“You were shivering… fine.” With a disgruntled noise he disentangled his limbs from hers so she could slide out from under the covers. 

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat for a moment. Her head was pounding.

She shuffled into the bathroom muttering quiet curses to herself. She was just thankful it was the weekend and she didn’t have to worry about paying attention in class. She almost felt human after washing her face and brushing her teeth twice. 

She returned to her room to find a very pleased, shirtless demon reclining in her bed with his arms pillowed behind his head.

“Good morning.” He said with a cocky grin. 

“Maybe for you. I feel like shit.” 

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? I drink some horrible tasting tea that essentially traps me in a never-ending, tedious dream and I wake up to find my bed has been invaded.” 

“Hey, you’re the one who cuddled up to me.”

“You’re the one who got in my bed after I specifically told you not to.”

“Fine.” He grumbled, sliding out of bed and stretching, accentuating his very muscular torso. “At least nothing got you in your sleep!” 

She rolled her eyes, refusing to be distracted. “Get out!” 

“I’m going.” He snagged his t-shirt from the back of her chair as he walked to the door. “But you’d better be nice or I’ll tell everyone what you said in your sleep.”

“I do not talk in my sleep.”

“No?”

“Now, Mammon.”

“If you insist.” She didn’t think it was possible, but the expression he wore was even more smug than before. 

She threw a slipper at him, but he was already ducking out of the room with a cheerful “See you later.” 

Olivia collapsed back onto her bed. She wasn’t sleepy, but she felt exhausted. She pulled a pillow over her face to block out the morning light and tried to think through how she’d put a stop to this. 

\-------------------------

It was early afternoon by the time she had mustered the energy to get up and take care of things. She strode into the library with the pouch of dirt-tea and tossed it onto the table in front of Satan. 

“Satan, this tea is undrinkable garbage and nobody else is sleeping in my room.”

He carefully closed the book in front of him before looking up at her. “Is that so?” 

“Yes. For one, I feel like utter garbage after spending a night walking through the most boring dream I’ve ever had. Did you know the tea would stop me from being able to do anything?”

He didn’t respond, plucking the bag off the table and opening it to inspect the contents. 

“You did, didn’t you? All agreements are off. Nobody is sleeping in my room and no more tea. If you’re lucky I  _ might  _ tell you any concerns I have.”

“Olivia--”

“No. I had a night of terrible sleep and wake up feeling like ass only to find my personal space invaded.” 

Satan winced at that. “What did Mammon… no, I don’t want to know. But this is important and, frankly, I asked to be nice. We can easily station someone in your room, willing or no.” Satan winced, realizing just how much he sounded like a certain, obnoxious firstborn. 

“Fine. Then I’ll keep whoever it is awake all night.” 

“We can easily go days without sleep.”

“But I can’t. This will literally make me sick, but if it keeps me safe, why not.” She shrugged.

Satan’s eyebrows rose. “You will eventually fall asleep.”

“Probably, but small amounts of broken sleep won’t make up for that amount of sleep deprivation.” She leaned forward. “Don’t try to out-stubborn me. If you’re so concerned about my well-being, you should take my feelings into account.”

He let out a long sigh. “And how would I do that?”

She sat down at the chair across from him. “To start with you could tell me what I should watch out for.”

\-------------------------

Asmo was sprawled on his stomach on Solomon’s bed, kicking his feet in the air. “You never do anything fun anymore.”

“I have plenty of fun.” Solomon turned away from his desk to face Asmo. “I just don’t find the prospect of missing a meeting of ritual magic users on the night of the Blood Moon worth being your plus one to another foam party at The Fall.”

At Asmo’s lovely pout, Solomon added, “I’m sure you will be glorious, as usual. Why don’t you take Olivia? Has she even been to The Fall?”

“I’ve tried.” Asmo sighed. “Everyone is so overprotective of her. Sure she’s human, but you’re human. Plus with all the dream stuff… there’s no way I”d be able to get her out of the house.”

Solomon’s eyes widened. “Dream stuff?” 

“Well, yeah. What do you know about dreamwalking?”

“Not much. I studied up on traditional demonic abilities before coming here. With few exceptions, that one is squarely in the Celestial’s wheelhouse.” 

“That’s what we thought. Satan’s planning to ask Simeon about it.”

“Wait, what does dreamwalking have to do with Olivia? She’s human, surely she can’t…”

“Well, don’t tell anyone I told you. And we’ve not managed to confirm it, but she seems pretty convinced she can. Come here, let me at least make sure our nails match.”

“Fine.” Solomon moved his desk chair closer to the bed and held out a hand. “But why does she think she can dreamwalk? Where did she even hear about it?”

“Well,” Asmo sat up and placed Solomon’s hand on his thigh before carefully unscrewing the top of the pink polish. “She didn’t say exactly. Apparently Mammon caught her upset one night in the garden and she let it slip that Belphie popped into one of her dreams and she figured it out after that.” 

“Belphie? Wasn’t he sent to Prague?” 

“Hmmm… yeah, somewhere in the Human Realm. Prague or maybe Beijing? I don’t know. I get those mixed up.”

“They’re on opposite ends… nevermind. But how could he reach from there?” 

Asmo beamed. “That’s exactly what I said. There’s no way it’s Belphie. So now the working theory is it’s one of the few other beings who can dreamwalk.”

“But what interest would any of the angels have in a human’s dreams?”

“There are a few lesser demons who have the skill, but… that’s basically where we are. Either Olivia’s mistaken about dreamwalking, or there’s someone else mucking around in her head.”

Asmo sighed. “And that’s why you have to come to The Fall with me.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> “Belphie? Wasn’t he sent to Prague?”_
> 
> _“Hmmm… yeah, somewhere in the Human Realm. Prague or maybe Beijing? I don’t know. I get those mixed up.”_
> 
> _“They’re on opposite ends… nevermind. But how could he reach from there?”_
> 
> _Asmo beamed. “That’s exactly what I said. There’s no way it’s Belphie. So now the working theory is it’s one of the few other beings who can dreamwalk.”_
> 
> _“But what interest would any of the angels have in a human’s dreams?”_
> 
> _“There are a few lesser demons who have the skill, but… that’s basically where we are. Either Olivia’s mistaken about dreamwalking, or there’s someone else mucking around in her head.”_
> 
> _Asmo sighed. “And that’s why you have to come to The Fall with me.”  
> _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends, I promised smut, so... here you are. If you're not into graphic sex, you can skip this chapter and rejoin us at 17. There should be enough in the summary for you to get the gist of what happened without having to read all the details.
> 
> Hopefully this holds up. I've not written much smut lately, so... yeah. I hope you enjoy!

Olivia slipped into a dream, relieved to be able to control things again. She hadn’t wanted to admit how scared she’d been after drinking the tea. What if her abilities had vanished? But they were the same as before. 

She closed her eyes and imagined the scene before her rippling and growing fluid. When she opened them she grinned and sank joyously into warm ocean waves. 

She’d been exploring the bottom of the ocean, swimming with giant rays and watching the sunlight filter down through the surf. She had almost grown accustomed to not having to come up for air, though she still exhaled, letting out an intermittent stream of bubbles to the delight of the brightly colored fish that flitted between them. 

She was so focused that she missed Belphegor slipping into her dream. He watched from the shallows, impressed. 

After a few minutes of her not noticing him he grew impatient and swam down to meet her. Olivia smiled up at him. She was usually happier to see him in dreams-- well, barring that fight.  _ Of course _ , he mused,  _ I’m probably a bit more approachable here. And she’s not quite as helpless.  _

He grasped her hand. Her smile widened. She tugged back and suddenly they were on a warm sandy beach. She pulled him down beside her onto an oversized towel. 

“So what’s up? I know we can talk underwater, but it just seems... wrong.” She wrinkled her nose.

“Who says something’s up?” He lay on his side, propped on an elbow. 

“Well, why are you here?” 

“Maybe I just want to see my favorite human?”

She huffed out a derisive sigh. “And how many humans do you know?”

“That’s beside the point.” He stretched out onto his back, using the excuse to move closer to her. 

She turned back to him, leaning over to look him straight in the face. “Is it? I’m pretty sure you just want to talk about pacts.” She rolled her eyes and flopped onto her back. “Thanks to you. I’ve already spent countless evenings with your brothers talking through all the possible dangers and all about how I don’t even know who I’m talking to in my dream. And that awful tea. Ugh. I don’t want to think about any of that. This is my dream.” The towel vanished as she stretched her arms out in the warm sand. 

Belphegor glanced at her and the memory of her cuddling against Mammon’s chest flashed in his mind. He admired the expanse of skin laid bare by her swimsuit and longed to claim it, marking it so there was no doubt about who she belonged to. 

He looked back at her face. She had her eyes closed and she seemed to be luxuriating in the sensation of the sand on her skin as she moved slightly and created a soft indentation that conformed to her back and arms. She murmured again, almost to herself. “And this is  _ my  _ dream.” Suddenly her eyes were open, looking directly at him. 

“How about something a little less boring?” Olivia propped herself up on her elbows, leaning towards him. As he watched she lay a gentle kiss on his lips. 

His eyebrows rose in surprise. He  _ had  _ planned to come talk to her about pacts again, but that could wait. 

He caught her before she could pull back and drew her in for a longer kiss. Her mouth parted and he bit at her bottom lip. When he drew back her eyes were dark. She took hold of one of his hands, delicately toying with his fingers. He had never realized just how sensitive his fingertips were and every movement of hers sent delicate tingles through him.

“Dream demon” she murmured, using her hand to move his, trailing his hand down her neck. “What do you want to do next?” His fingers were brushing along the delicate skin exposed by the low neckline of her swimsuit. As his fingers continued the fabric melted away just before he touched it. 

He grinned appreciatively. 

“What, it’s my dream, right?” 

“As you wish,” he breathed into her ear, kissing along the path his hand had taken. The top of her garment was misty shreds of fabric, offering tantalizing glimpses of flesh as she moaned under his lips. 

She ran her hands along his muscled back and up through his hair. She gripped and pulled it back from his face. As she watched he mouthed across her nipple, drawing the delicate tip into his mouth and nibbling. Overwhelmed by the sensation of his warm mouth and skin against hers, she almost missed his hand sliding along her leg and running up her inner thigh. 

She blinked and her swimsuit vanished. She grinned at him. “I figured I’d make your job easier.”

“And what job is that?” He asked thickly.

She used his hair to pull his face to hers, so she could whisper in his ear. Oliovia emphasized each syllable, the tiny puffs of air tickling his ear. “You’re going to make me cum until I can’t pronounce your name, Bel-phe-gor.” 

His eyes widened in surprise. She wasn’t sure where this confidence was coming from, but she wanted to have some fun. Everything had been so fucking hard lately. And it wasn’t like she could get pregnant from dream sex. She was pretty sure it didn’t count. At least, that’s what she kept insisting to the more reasonable part of her brain trying to slow her down. 

She smirked and his swim trunks vanished, he was left in tight boxers that left nothing to the imagination. It seemed impolite to strip him entirely. His erection pressed against the thin fabric.  _ Is he really that big or is this what I want him to be? What do I look like to him?  _

Banishing those thoughts, she ran her hands up his chest and then pushed him back on the beach and straddled him, grinding her hips into his. A shiver of pleasure ran through her as she moved, the length of him rubbing against her, drawing out the budding tension in building low in her belly. 

He watched appreciatively as she moved, a gentle flush heating her cheeks and burning its way down her chest. Normally he’d be content with this, but not now. The desire to claim her flared through him again and he grasped her waist, guiding her off of him and to the side. 

She allowed this with a slight smile. “Think you can do better? Then by all means.” She lay sprawled out on the sand as again he kissed his way down her neck again. This time he took his time, making sure to nibble and suck and nip. Marking as much of her as he could. This wouldn’t last past the dream, but he didn’t want to think about that. 

A sharp gasp let him know he’d bitten a bit too hard. He grinned at that. “Too much for you, princess?”

“Did I say that? Besides, we covered this. I’m the hero.”

“I don’t think heroes typically make noises like that.” 

“Like what…” Her question turned into a gasping moan as he slipped his hand down her hips and pressed against her mons.

“Ohhh.” Her ability to speak was momentarily short circuited and her back arched. He paused to admire her, sprawled out on the sand, moving in response to his hand.  _ This is more like it.  _ Her eyes fluttered open to meet his. She moved her hands to his shoulders, but he grasped both wrists in his and pinned them above her head.  _ Perfection _ . 

He continued his gentle motions and worked his way between her lips, teasing her clit and distracting her. Simultaneously, he pulled her from her dreamscape into an identical one of his own making. After all, it wouldn’t do for her to have all the control. He leaned forward and kissed her mouth again, watching out of the corner of his eye as strands of seaweed grew up the beach, until they found their targets, twining around her ankles and wrists. Her eyes flew open in surprise. 

“Sneaky.” She grinned. “But you know you’re not the only one who can....” She tried to change her bindings into soft, feather boas, but they remained damp and heavy against her skin. “What--?”

“Well, if I’m expected to make you lose the ability to speak, I want all of my tools at my disposal. But I will make a concession.” His boxers vanished, leaving him bare to the warm rays of the now-setting sun. 

He paused. “Like what you see?” 

“Mmmmm… I can’t complain.” She bit down on her lower lip resisting the urge to ruin the mood with an off-color comment about his tools. 

“I should think not.” He kissed her as the ropes of seaweed continued to wind their way around her arms, pulling them together and further immobilizing her. She couldn’t see them, but she could feel the cool moisture of kelp strands spiraling up her legs and across her abdomen. They criss-crossed around her breasts until they reached her throat, where they circled it. The gentle pressure made her realize her breaths had grown faster. 

Belphegor sat back admiring his handiwork. The seaweed glinted wet and deep green against the soft skin of her chest. Olivia wiggled experimentally and let out a sharp gasp. “What was that?”

Belphegor leaned forward, feeling her bare skin pressed up against his chest, and whispered in her ear. “Oh dear, I think I might have accidentally got a few jellyfish caught up in these, but you should be fine… as long as you don’t move too much.” 

He reclined on his side beside her and trailed his hands across her exposed skin. Olivia took a deep breath, staying still at his gentle touch before turning her head to face him. “You’re making this pretty easy.” The challenge glinted in her eyes. 

“Oh?” He took advantage of her position, running a finger between her labia, collecting the moisture. He returned to rubbing delicate little circles around her clit. She remained still, though he could see new tension running through her muscles and clenching at her jaw. 

“I’m taking my time.” He grinned. “After all, you’re not going anywhere.” 

She managed to hold still through the first finger, but by the time he plunged a second finger deep inside her, her back arched and she cried out at the sudden sensation of being filled. Her cry turned to a sharp inhalation at the stinging sensation burning along the restraints at her ribs. 

Her head felt muddy, clouded with warring sensations. She opened her eyelids to see violet eyes peering at her over a satisfied smirk. “You sure you can take it?”

“Absolutely.” This time she leaned into it, twisting her wrists to feel the slick stinging of her improvised bonds. “And yet, I am still more than capable of saying your name.”

His smirk bloomed into a full grin as he kissed her, lips soft and swollen. With a sudden start, Olivia realized the sand beneath her was shifting, elevating her hips and spreading her even wider. Belphegor moved and was suddenly hard against her. A warm, fluttery feeling ran through her and she shivered in anticipation. With devastating slowness, he pressed into her. She felt herself stretch around him as he filled her. 

He looked down at her, spread out and his. It was almost enough to slake the fierce ache he felt, but not quite. He pulled back and began to move, savoring the delicious friction as her body resisted his motions.

The tension low in her belly built, heavy and tight. Her throbbing need overtook all other sensations, neither the stinging of her bonds nor his teeth on her shoulder could distract her from the waves of desire threatening to overtake her. She dug her toes into the sand and pressed her hips up, finding a little give in her restraints and using every bit to move with his motions. 

She was riding the blinding edge when he moved one hand down and pressed against her clit, setting fire to her nerve endings and triggering a sudden, clenching release that had her bucking into him and writhing in the restraints. He lost all control, feeling her pulse around his cock and he fell against her, letting out a gasping moan and plunging deep with a final, juddering thrust. 

They lay entwined for a moment, breathing hard. Olivia opened her eyes blearily, her body still spasming with the last twitches of intense pleasure. She must have lost some of her focus as the sand had shifted into something smoother and she no longer felt the sun warming her skin.  _ But he had taken control of the dream…  _

He rolled to the side, kissing her cheek and murmuring something that sounded suspiciously like “all mine.” 

She brushed her hair off her forehead and rubbed her eyes… everything felt strange.  _ How do I have crusties? ...I’m still asleep…  _ She sat up, looking around a familiar room, though she’d never seen it from this perspective.

She closed her eyes, imagining the room melting around her and the familiar beach they’d just visited. She knew what the coarse sand would feel like and how the waves would sound… but when she opened her eyes again she was tangled in sheets looking at a bemused, naked demon. 

Her heart raced again, but this time threads of panic wove through it. She took a deep breath and tried desperately to calm herself. “Belphegor-- am I in the attic?” 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> He rolled to the side, kissing her cheek and murmuring something that sounded suspiciously like “all mine.”_
> 
> _She brushed her hair off her forehead and rubbed her eyes… everything felt strange. How do I have crusties? ...I’m still asleep… She sat up, looking around a familiar room, though she’d never seen it from this perspective._
> 
> _She closed her eyes, imagining the room melting around her and the familiar beach they’d just visited. She knew what the coarse sand would feel like and how the waves would sound… but when she opened her eyes again she was tangled in sheets looking at a bemused, naked demon._
> 
> _Her heart raced again, but this time threads of panic wove through it. She took a deep breath and tried desperately to calm herself. “Belphegor-- am I in the attic?”_  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a bit more time with the snow today and I've been excited to reach this part for some time, so... :) 
> 
> It's a little shorter than what I normally post, but I didn't want to leave you hanging too long.

“How did this even happen!? Did you know this could happen?” She was bundled in a sheet, leaning against the far wall, arms crossed in front of her chest. 

He ran his hands through his hair and grimaced as he pulled on his clothes. “I genuinely didn’t know you could do this. It’s a really rare ability.”

“You mean _I_ did this!?”

“Well, yeah. I can’t bring anything in or out of here. Trust me, I’ve tried. Lucifer made sure of that.”

“Ok, so how do I leave?” 

“That’s a good question.” He smirked. “We could try repeating what got you in here.” 

“That’s not helpful!” 

She slid down the far wall, sitting with her back against it. Her mind spiraled. _How, but… I have class in the morning. What will I do? When does Lucifer usually stop by? Oh, God, I don’t want to deal with Lucifer._ _Shit! We didn’t use protection. Can I get pregnant? Do demons have STIs?_

She bent her knees and leaned over them, resting her head on her arms, taking deep breaths. _One thing at a time._

After a moment she spoke. “I just didn’t expect this. I think, on some level, I didn't think the dream stuff was real.” 

“Well, you’re not entirely wrong. Rarely does it happen like this.” 

“So what’s our plan? Do we tell anyone?”

“You have pacts with almost everyone in this house. They’ll know you’re gone pretty soon. I don’t doubt that at least a few are already trying to figure out what’s wrong. And I’d be really surprised if Asmo didn’t get an idea of what we were up to earlier... “

Her face went beet red. “Ok, but we don’t need to share details, right?” 

Belphegor chuckled. “I mean, we might eventually want to talk through things, but I don’t think we need to share specifics. Unless you want to?” He raised an eyebrow.

“No!” 

“Lucifer will bring breakfast up shortly.” 

“Fuuuuckk. What do we tell him?” She twisted the ends of the sheet in her hands, tugging at the edge where it had started to fray. “He warned me away for a bit, but I don’t know how he figured things out… I’ve been so careful.”

 _So he did catch on._ Belphegor’s stomach sank at the memory of the empty cans of Snap that he hadn’t disposed of in time. 

Letting out a deep sigh, Olivia continued. “So… what’s our plan?”

“Well, he won’t hurt you. That’d go directly against Diavolo’s orders… How many pacts do you have now? 

“Five. I don’t have Lucifer or you.” 

“Do you want to try the door? If it doesn’t work, we can make a pact. Maybe you can get us both out before it becomes a big issue.”

“Do I need to do anything special?”

“I don’t know.”

“Real helpful.” She sighed. 

He sat on the bed, watching as she stood, adjusted the sheet and walked to the door. 

“Can you stop watching me?”

“We just fucked-- all you’re doing is opening a door.”

“Yeah, but... it feels kind of weird.”

“You’re just opening a door.” He repeated, impatient. It probably wouldn’t work, but it was hard not to get his hopes up.

“Have you ever tried to open a magically sealed door with an audience?” 

Belphegor raised an eyebrow, but didn’t look away. “Lucifer’s probably on his way up.” 

“Fuck off.” 

She turned away from him. Taking a deep breath, she grasped the handle and turned. It didn’t budge. She tried again, imagining the lock turning to mist and the door swinging open. She turned it again, wiggling the handle, hoping to knock something loose. With a final hard tug and exasperated grunt, she dropped her hands and stepped back. 

“No luck.”

“Pact?” He asked. 

“Sure, what’s one more?” 

“One more?” His face fell into a sullen pout. 

Olivia almost laughed at the sudden, childish display. “I’m sorry. That said, you have to admit this is more a means to an end than any kind of meaningful bond. Besides, you didn’t seem to worry about how meaningful they were when it was me making them.”

He didn’t respond, masking the sting he felt by standing and grasping her hand. “Let’s do this.” 

“So how do you do it?” She grinned impishly at him. “I’m not into poop”

His eyes flashed and he pulled her against him roughly. “Listen. I need you, but don’t push me.”

Despite his shitty mood, she still found herself distracted by the hard planes of his chest under her hands. _Not the time_ , she thought as she stood up straight, pulling away from the warmth of his body.

“Fine.” She pursed her lips, waiting for his instructions and wondering just how the Avatar of Sloth cemented his pacts.

Each of his brothers had used their own method of formalizing a pact. Contrary to his bombastic nature, Mammon had gone with the simplest method and required only a small amount of blood. Levi had added some strange movements they did together based around a Ruri-chan dance. Satan’s had been a very precise set of words around a burning brazier with incense and other fancy components. Instead of mixing blood, they had each bled onto the smoking coals. Beel’s pact had involved cooking and eating a giant meal with bits of their blood baked in. Asmo, well, it had been obvious how he wanted to cement their pact, but he had settled for a kiss. _A very intense kiss_ , she remembered, running her tongue over the tiny cut on her lower lip. 

The pause lasted longer than she expected. Sighing she asked, “So ...how do _you_ make pacts?” 

It had been so long… _hell, last time it had involved excrement. Fucking Mammon_. “I think we’re going quick and simple. So let’s do blood.” 

“Ummm, ok.” 

She was settling next to him on the bed when the sound of footsteps on the stairs interrupted them.

Olivia rolled to the side, thumping onto the floor behind the bed and tangling in her sheet as she tried desperately to hide. She made it to the other side of the bed just as she heard the door open. 

“Belphegor, I would have brought more to eat if I had known you were going to have a guest.” Lucifer’s tone turned icy. “Olivia, I know you are here. Come out.” 

“Good morning?” Olivia smiled weakly as she poked her head past the edge of the bed. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _  
> She was settling next to him on the bed when the sound of footsteps on the stairs interrupted them._
> 
> _Olivia rolled to the side, thumping onto the floor behind the bed and tangling in her sheet as she tried desperately to hide. She made it to the other side of the bed just as she heard the door open._
> 
> _“Belphegor, I would have brought more to eat if I had known you were going to have a guest.” Lucier’s tone turned icy. “Olivia, I know you are here. Come out.”_
> 
> _“Good morning?” Olivia smiled weakly as she poked her head above the edge of the bed._
> 
> __

Mammon sat up, something was off, but he wasn’t sure what. He checked his DDD… nothing.  _ Guess, I’ll head to breakfast. See what’s goin’ on. _

He was surprised to find almost all of his brothers already at the breakfast table. 

“What’re ya all doin’ here?” 

“I would suspect we’re here for much the same reason as you.” Satan said smoothly.

“Yeah, but what’s going on? And where’s Lucifer?” 

“He’s the only one of us that doesn’t have a pact with Livvy.” 

Levi gave Asmo a cross look, “She hates that nickname.”

“Maybe when you use it,” Asmo purred.

“Enough.” Beel said. “Something is wrong. I went by Olivia’s room and she wasn’t there.”

“Tell them what else we found.” Asmo’s eyes glittered.

“That’s not relevant.” Beel muttered, looking down at his plate.

“Well, maybe not to you, but a disheveled bed and a crumpled pile of pajamas are not nothing to me.” Asmo clasped his hands delightedly. “The whole place was positively dripping with lust.” 

“That’s not important,” Beel said, turning beet red. “She’s missing.” 

“Are we sure something’s wrong?” Asmo asked. “I didn’t hear her call for any of us...” 

“No, but she is new to pacts, so she might not know how.” Satan mused. “Beyond dreamwalking, I don’t know that she’s manifested any magic abilities. I should have tested her more…” 

“Did anyone feel anything from her? Strong emotions or, well, anything?” Levi asked.

“I thought I felt a spark of anger just after I woke, but couldn’t pinpoint anything specific.” Satan said.

“Ooooh, I felt some strong emotions, but they weren’t anything I would worry about…”

“Asmo, enough!” Mammon stood up. “I’m supposed to be in charge of the human and so I need to know where she is.”

“Well, you’re doing a pitiful job of it.” Asmo tossed his head.

“Have any of you managed to talk to her in your dreams? I know she visited a couple of mine, but I don’t remember seeing her.” Satan looked around the table. “Have any of you had better luck?” 

After a long pause, Satan sighed. “Well, after breakfast I’m going to do some more research on dreamwalking. There may be things we can do to make it easier for her to contact us. And, while unlikely, it is possible she slipped out to rendezvous with someone.”

“Asmo, Beel- I want you two to stop by Purgatory Hall to see if Solomon or the angels have heard anything. Be subtle. Levi and Mammon-- you are going to search the entire house.” 

“What are we going to tell Lucifer?” Levi asked. “He’s going to know something’s up.”

“And I don’t wanna get in trouble!” Mammon interjected.

“Let’s see what we can find. We can worry about Lucifer later.” 

  
\-------------------------

“Well now I have a conundrum.” Lucifer mused aloud. “I don’t doubt that someone will get the truth out of you, and I can’t have that yet. But I can’t very well dispose of you…” He tapped a gloved finger on his chin, musing. 

Belphegor watched, amused as Olivia’s knuckles went white where she clutched his sheet to her chest. It was nice to see someone else on the receiving end of Lucifer’s cold deliberations.

Turning back to Lucifer, he was surprised to see a tinge of panic in the tightness around his brother’s eyes.  _ Oh, this is going to give him such a headache! It’s not as much fun as being free, but… _

Belphegor slumped backwards, pillowing his arms behind his head. “So what’re you going to tell Diavolo and the rest of the family? With their pacts, it would surprise me if they didn’t all know something was up already.” 

“Mind yourself, Belpheghor. This is nothing that involves you.” 

Belphegor smiled broadly, but didn’t respond beyond a slight shrug. 

Lucifer sighed. “For now, you’ll stay here.”

“Can you at least bring me some clothes?”

“You should have thought of that before… well, what  _ did  _ you do to wind up in here?” 

Olivia flushed and looked away. 

Lucifer made a final disapproving noise before locking the door behind him. His steps sounded heavy as they echoed down the stone stairwell.

\-------------------------

Asmo hadn’t been too worried at first. He knew what a consensual good time felt like and, as disappointed as he’d been not to participate, he was relieved to know Olivia had loosened up enough to enjoy herself.  _ Maybe I’ll be able to win her over next time. Now that she's experienced what it’s like to give in to a demon...  _

He paused at that thought. How did he know it was a demon? There were all kinds of beings in the Devildom and there was no telling who might be interested in Olivia. But there was something almost familiar about the other energy in her room. He’d been too surprised to pick up on it before, but now it was tickling in the back of his brain, like the name of a song he couldn’t quite recall. 

Sighing, he sat his hand cream on his side table, pulled on a silky robe and slippers, and headed down to the kitchen.

The faint light emanating from the doorway proved him right.

“Beel? You in there?”

“Mpphhh?” 

As Asmo rounded the corner, he heard the sounds of vigorous chewing and swallowing and finally, intelligible speech. 

“Yeah, Asmo? I just cleaned out the fridge, but there might be something in the cupboard still…” Beel straightened, brushing crumbs from his lips.

“Oh I never eat this late, well, not food.” The innuendo slipped out before he could catch it, his customary flirtatious style was hard to reign in, even when he was trying to be serious.

“Beel, did you notice anything when we stopped by Livvy’s room the other morning?”

“This again? Asmo, I miss her, too, but Lucifer explained she was on a field trip.” 

Asmo watched as Beel’s face grew pink. He knew his burly brother had a crush on the human, to be honest, he suspected they all did, but he needed Beel to think beyond that.

“Setting aside the questionable nature of that school trip, I feel like there was something familiar in her room when we stopped by. The energy-- it felt like Livvy and someone so familiar, but I can’t quite place it. Would you be up for swinging by again just to see what we can sense?”

There was a long pause as before he agreed. “Fine.” Beel grumbled. “But we leave when I say.”

“Sure thing. Let’s go.” 


End file.
